
Class, 



•360 



C tr rz 

, LJ ^ ^ 






PRESENTED BY 



A- 



Btamontr iSfriticm. 



THE ENTIRE WORKS 



ROBERT BURNS; 



HIS LIFE AND A CRITICISM ON HIS WRITINGS, 

&c. &c. 

By JAMES CURRIE, 31. D. 



Ft VOLUMES COMPLETE C 



AN ENLARGED AND CORRECTED GLOSSARY. 



SECOND EDITION. 



THIRTEEN ENGRAVINGS ON STEEL, FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS. 



LONDON: 

ALLAN BELL & CO., WARWICK SQUARE; AND 

SIMPKIN & MARSHALL, Stationers' Court; 

W. & R. CHAMBERS, EDINBURGH; W. CURRY, JUS., & CO., DUBLIN; 

J. M'LEOD, GLASGOW; WILMER & SMITH, LIVERPOOL; AND 

BANCKS & CO., MANCHESTER. 

MDCCCXXXIII. 






GLASGOW: 



Gift 

m. HUTCHE30*] 









CAPTAIN GRAHAM MOORE, 



OF THE ROYAL NAVY. 



When you were station; d on our coast about twelve years ngo, you first recommended to 

ben^fitof his widow and children, I now present to you. In a distant region of the world, 
whither the service of your country has carried you, you will, I know, receive with kindness 
this proof of my regard ; not perhaps without some surprise on finding that I have been en- 
gaged in editing this work, not without some curiosity to know how I was qualified for such 
an undertaking. These points I will briefly explain. 

Having occasion to make an excursion to the county of Dumfries, in the summer of 1792, 
I had there an opportunity of seeing and conversing with Burns. It has been my fortune to 
know some men of high reputation in literature, as well as in public life, but never to meet 
any one who, 'n the course of a single interview, communicated to me so strong an inipres- 

with greater interest and a'tention, and with a full conviction lhat, extraordinary as they 
are, they afford but an inadequate proof of the powers of their unfortunate author. 

Four years afterwards. Burns terminated his career. Among those whom the charms of 
genius had attached to him, was one with whom I have been bound in the ties of friendship 
from early life— Mr John Syine of Ryedale. This genileman, after the death of Burns, pro- 
moted with the utmost zeal a subscription for the support of the widow and children, to which 

this virtuous and destitute family, be projected the publication of this work for their benefit, 
by which the return of want might be prevented or prolonged. 

To this last undertaking, an editor and biographer was wanting, and Mr Syme's modesty 
opposed a barrier to his assuming an office for which he was, in other respects, peculiarly 



tablished 


eputation naturally declined an undertaking, to the performance of which it was 


arcely to 


be hoped that general approbation could be obtained, by any exertion of judgment 


TTTcb a 


n office, my place of residence, my accustomed studies, and my occupation, were 


er.ainly lit 


le suited ; but the partiality of Mr Syme thought me in other respects not unquali- 



made a journey to Liverpool, where they explained and arranged the manuscripts, and 
fid such as seemed worthy of the press. From this visit I derived a degree of pleasu; 



iv DEDICATION 7 . 

has compensated much of my labour. I had the satisfaction of renew ing my personal intercourse 
with a much valued friend, and of forming an acquaintance with a man closely allied to 
Burns, in talents as well as in blood, in whose future fortunes the fiiends of virtue will not, I 

The publication of this work has been delayed by obstacles which these gentlemen could 
neither remove nor foresee, and which it would be tedious to enumerate. At length the task is 
finished. If the part which I have taken shall Berve the interest of the family, and receive the 
approbation of good men, I shall have my recompense. The errors into which I have fallen 
are not, I hope, very important : and they will be easily accounted for by those who know the 
circumstances under which this undertaking has been performed. Generous minds will re- 
ceive the posibumous works'of Burns with candour, and even partiality, as the remains of an 
unfortunate man of genius, published for the benefit of his family, as the stay of the widow, 
and the hope of the fatherless. 

To secure me suffrages of such minds, all topics are omitted in the writings, and avoided in 

following wo-k, no offence will be received, except by lho6e to whom the natural erect aspect 
of genius is offensive ; characters that will scarcely be found among those who are educated 

anothtr 



of glory. They will not be found in your service, which in our own days, emul 


tesonan 


element, the superior fame of the Macedonian phalanx, or of the Roman legion, 


and whic 


lately made the shores of Europe and of Africa, resound with the shouts of vie 


cry, fron 


Texel to the Tagus, and from the Tagus to the Nile ! 




The works of Burns will be received favourably by one who stands in the for 


most ra 


this noble service, and who deserves his station. On the land or on the sea, i 


know no 


more capable of judging of the character or of the writings of this original ge 


ius. H 


and Shokspeare, and Ossian, cannot always occupy your leisure. This work 


lay some 


engage your attention, while khe steady breezes of the tropic swell your sails, a 


nd in an 



of your early days. Suffer me to hope that they may sometimes recall to your mind the frieni 
who addresses you, and who bids you moBt affectionately— adieu ! 

J. CURR1E. 
Liverpool, 1st May, 1800. 



CONTENTS. 



PREFATORY REMARKS. 



R. AND CONDITION 

OF THE SCOTTISH PEASANTRY. 

Effects of the legal establishment 
of parochial schools— of the 
church establishment — of the ab- 
sence.of poor laws— of the Scot- 
tish music and national songs — 
of the laws respecting marriage 
and incontinence— Observations 
on the domestic and national 
attachment of the Scots . 1 

LIFE OF BURNS. 

Narrative of his infancy and youth, 
by himself— Narrative on the 
same subject by his brother, and 
by Mr Murdoch of London, his 
teacher — Other particulars of 
Burns while resident in Ayrshire 
—History of Burns while resident 
in Edinburgh, including letters to 
the Editor trom .Mr Su-wart, and 
Dr Adair— History of Bums while 
on the farm of Ellisland, in Dum- 
fries-shire— History of Burns 
while resident in Dumfries — his 
last illness — death— and character 
— with general reflections . 2 

Memoir respecting Burns, by a 
lady . . . .57 

Criticism on the Works of Burns, 
including observations on poetry 
in the Scottish dialect, and some 
remarks on Scottish literature . 60 

Tributary Verses on the Death of 
Burns, by Mr Roscoe . 75 

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. 

1. To a Female Friend. Written 
about the year 1780 . . 81 

2. To the same . . . ib. 

3. To the same ... 82 

4. To the same . ib. 

5. To Mr John Murdoch, 15th Jan. 









6. Extracts from MSS. Observa- 
tions on various subjects . i 

7- To Mr Aiken, 1786. Written 
under distress of mind . i 

8. To MrsDunlop. Thanks for her 
notice. Praise of her ancestor, 
Sir William Wallace . . i 

9. To Mrs Stewart of Stair, enclos- 



10. Dr Black 


ock to the Rev. 
ouraging the Bard 


visit Kdinb 


-irgh, 


and print a ne 


edition oth 






LI. From Sir 


.h, ,n 


Whitefoord 


2. From the 


K.HV 


Mr Lowrie, 2 


December, 


l7Sri 


Advice to t 


Bard how 


ocori 


duct himself 



the 

Edinburgh 

13. To Mr Chalmers, 27th De- 
cember, 1786. Praise of Miss 

Burnet of Monboddo . . i 

14. To the Earl of Eglinton, Jan. 
17S7. Thanks for his patronage . i 

15. To .Airs Dunlop, 15th Jan. 
17S7. Account of his situation 
in Edinburgh ... I 

16. ToDr Moore, 1787. Grateful ac- 
knowledgments of Dr M.'s no- 
letters to Mrs 



1787. 



Dunlop 
17. From Dr Moore, 23d Jar 



enclosing a sonnet on the Bard, 
bv Miss Williams . . . il 

18. To Dr .Moore, 15th February, 
1787 £ 

19. From Dr Moore, 28th February, 
1787. Sends the Bard a present 
of his " View of Society and man- 
ners," &c. ... ii 

20. To the Earl of Glencairn, 1787. 
Grateful acknowledgments of 
kindness c 

21. To the Earl of Buchan, inreplv 
to a letter of advice . ' . il 

22. Extract concerning the monu- 
ment erected for Fergusson by our 



ompanjing the 
— , 8 th March 



25. To , ai 

foregoing 

24. Extract from 

1787. Good ad vie 

25. To Mrs Dun lop, 22d March, 
1787. Respecting his prospects 
on leaving Edinburgh . £ 

26. To the same, 15th April, 1787. 
On the same subject . i 

27. To Dr Moore, 23d April, 1787. 
On the same subject . . i 

2S. Extract to Mrs Dunlop, 30th 
April. Reply to Criticisms . £ 

29. To the Rev. Dr Blair, 3d 
May. Written on leaving Edin- 
burgh. Thanks for his kindness i' 

30. From Dr Blair, 4th May, in re- 
ply to the preceding . . il 

31. From Dr Moore, 23d May, 
1787. Criticism and good ad- 

32. From Mr John Hutchison' . £ 

33. To Mr Walker, at Blair of 
Athole, enclosing the "Humble 
Petition of Bruar Water to the 
Duke of Athole" i 

54. To Mr G. Burns, 17ih Sept. 
Account of his tour through the 
Highlands . . i 

35. From Mr Ramsay of Ochter- 
tyre, 22d October, enclosing 
Latin inscriptions, with transla- 
tions, and the tale of Omeron 
Cameron £ 

16. From Mr Walker . £ 

37. From Air A M . 1( 

38. Mr Ramsav to the Rev. W. 
Young, 22d Oct. introducing our 
poet i 

5a. ?>Ir Ramsay to Dr Blackiock, 
27th Oct. Anecdotes of ScottLh 
Songs for our Poet . . 1( 

10. From Mr John Murdoch, in 
London, 28 th Oct. in answer to 
No. 5 i 

11. From Mr , Gordon Castle, 

31st Oct. 1787, acknowledging 
a song sent to Lady Charlotte 
Gordon. . . . . i 

42. From the Rev. J. Skinner, 14th 
November, 1787. Some account 
of Scottish Poems . . 1( 

•13- From Mrs , 50th Nov. en- 

ir.g Erse Songs, with the 



Mus 

44. To Dalrymple, Esq. Con- 
gratulation on his becoming a 
poet. Praise of Lord Glencairn II 

15. To Mrs Dunlop, 21st Jan. 
1788. Written on recovery frcm 

46. Extract to the same, 12th Feb. 
1788. Defence of himself: . 1( 

47. To the same, 7th March, 1788. 
Who had heard that he had ridi- 
culed her 1 

48. To Mr Cleghorn, 31st March, 



178S, mentioninghis having com- 
posed the first stanza of the Che- 
valier's Lament . . 1( 

49. From Mr Cleghorn, 27 fh April, 
in reply to the above. The Che- 
valier's Lament in full, in a 
note ... i 

50. To Mrs Dunlop, 28th April, 
giving an account of his pro- 
spects ... 10 

51. From the Rev. J. Skinner, 28th 
April, 1788, enclosing two songs, 
one by himself, the other by a 
Buchan ploughman, the songs 
printed at large . . i 

52. To Professor D. Stewart, 3d 
May. Thanks for his friend- 
ship 1C 

53. Extract to Mrs Dunlop, 4th 
May. Remarks on Dryden's Vir- 
gil, and Pope's Odyssey . 1C 

54. To the same, 27th May. Gene- 
ral Reflections . . il 

55. To the same, at Mr Dunlop's, 
Haddington, 13th June, 17S8. Ac- 



56. To Mr P. Hill, i 
of a cheese 



ith i 






age 



ib. 



58. Tt the same, 10th August. 
Farther account of his Marriage 100 

59. To the same, 16ih August. 
Reflections on Human Life . 110 

60. To R. Graham, Esq. of Fin- 
try. A petition in ver~ * 






111 



61. To Mr P. Hill, 1st Oct. 171. 
Criticism on a poem, entitled, 

" An address to Loch-Lomond" 115 

62. To Mrs Dunlop, at Moreham 
Maines, 13th November . lie 

63. To ****, 8th Nov. Defence of 
the familv of the Stewarts. Base- 
ness of insulting fallen greatness ib. 

64. To Mrs Dunlop, 17th Dec. 
with the soldier's song— "Go fetch 

to me a pint of wine" . 114 

65. To Miss Davies, a young Lady 
who had heard he had been mak- 
ing a ballad on her, enclosing 
that ballad . . 115 

66. To Sir John Whitefoord . ib. 

67. From Mr G. Burns, 1st Jan. 
1789. Reflections suggested by 
the day ... 116 

68. To .Airs Dunlop. 1st Jan. Re- 
flections suggested by the day . ib. 

69. To Dr Moore, 4th Jan. Ac- 
count of his situation and pro- 
spects ib. 

70. To Bishop Geddes,3d February. 
Account of his situation and pro- 



CONTEXTS. 



as to the publishing Mr Mylne's 
poems ib. 

72. To Mrs Dunlop, 4th March. 
Reflections af.er a visit to Edin- 
burgh . . 118 

73. To the Rev P. Carfrae, in an- 
swertoNo. 71 . • 119 

74. To Dr Moore. Inclosing a poem ib. 

75. To Mr Hill. Apostrophe to 
Frugality . . ib. 

76. To ?.Irs Dunlop. "With a sketch 

Right Hon' c! j n Fox er;,e . ' 120 

77. To Mr Cunningham. With 
the first draught of the poem on 

a Wounded Hare . . 121 

7S. From Dr Gregory. Criticism 

of the poem on a Wounded Hare ib. 
79. To Mr M'Aulay of Dumbarton. 

Account of his situation . 122 

SO. To Mrs Dunlop. Reflections 

on Religion . . . ib. 

81. From Dr Moore. Good advice 123 

82. From Miss J. Little. A poetess 
in humble life, with a poem in 
praise of our Bard . . ib. 

S3. From Mr . Some account 

of Ferguson . . .121 

81. To Mr In answer . ib. 

85. To Mrs Dunlop. Praise of 



Zeluc. 

56. From Dr Blacklock. An epis- 
tle ir 



S7. To Dr Blacklock. Poetical 
reply to the above . . ib. 

88. To R. Graham, Esq. Inclos- 
ing some electioneering ballads ib. 

89. To Mrs Dunlop. Serious and 
interesting reflet tions . 127 

90. To Sir John Sinclair. Account 
of a book society among the 
farmers in Nithsdale . 123 

91. To Mr Gilbert Burns. With 
a prologue spoken in the Dum- 
fries Theatre. . . 129 

92. To Mrs Dunlop. Some ac- 
count of Falconer, author of the 
Shipwreck . ib. 

93. From Mr Cunningham. In- 
quiries of our Bard . . 130 

94. To Mr Cunningham. In reply- 
to the above . . .131 

95. To Mr Hill. Order for books ib. 

96. To .Mrs Dunlop. Remarks on 
the Lounger, and on the writings 

of Mr Mackenzie . . 132 

97. From Mr Cunningham. Ac- 
count of the death of .Miss Bur- 
net of Monboddo . . 153 

98. I'o Dr Moore. Thanks for a 
present of Zeluco . . ib. 

99. To Mrs Dunlop. Written 
under wounded pride . . 154 

200 To Mr Cunningham, 8th 
•^fgust. Aspirations after in- 
dependence . . ib. 



134 



101. From Dr Blacklock. 1st Sep- 
tember, 1790. Poetical letter 
of Friendship 

102. Extract fromMr Ci-- 
14th October. Suggesting sub- 
jects for our poet's muse . 13. 

103. To Mr Dunlop, November, 

1790. Congratulations on the 
bktti of her grand-on . ib 

104. To Mr Cunningham, 23d 
Jan. 1791, with an elegy on 
Miss Burnet of Monboddo . ib 

105. I'o Mr Hill. 17th Jan. In- 
dignant Apostrophe to Poverty 13' 

106. From A. F. Tvtler, Esq. 12th 
March. Criticism on lam o' 
Shanter ib 

1C7. To A. F. Tytler, Esq. inreplv 
to the above . . " 13: 

108. To Mrs Dunlopjth February, 

1791. Enclosing his elegy on 
Miss Burnet . . ib 

109. To Lady W. M. Constable, 
acknowledging a present of a 

110. To Mrs Graham of Fintrv, en- 
closing " Queen Mary's Lament" it 

111. From the Rev. G.'Baird, 8th 
February, 1781, requesting as- 
sistance" in publishing the 
poems of Michael Bruce . it 

112. To the Rev. G. Baird, in re- 
ply to the above . . 13 

113. To Dr Moore, 28th February, 
1791, enclosing Tam o' Shan- 
ter, &e. . . . it 

1U. Fro 



115. To the Rev. A. Alison, 14th 
Feb., acknowledging his present 
of the "Essays on the Principles 
of Taste," with remarks on the 
book. ... ib. 

116. To Mr Cunningham, 12th 
March, with a J. ic bite s,,ne, &c. 141 

117. To Mrs Dunlop, 11th April. 
ComDanson between female 

high and humble 



lth 



life 

118. To Mr Cunningh; 
June, requesting his interest 
an oppressed friend 

119. From the Earl of Buch; 
17th June, 1791, inviting c 
our Bard to the coronatior 
the bust cf Thomson on Edi 



120. To the Earl of Euchan, in 
reply . . i 

121. Frcin the Earl of Buchan, 
16th Sept. 1671, proposing a 
subject for our Poet's muse f 1- 

122. To Lady E. Cunningham, en- 
closing "The Lament for 
James, Earl of Glencairn" . i 



123. To Mr Ainslie. State of his 
mind after inebriation . h 

124. From Sir John Whitefoord, 
16th Oct. Thanks for "The 
Lament on James, Earl of Glen- 
oairn," . U 

125. From A. F. Tytler, Esq. 27th 
November, 1791. Criticism on 
the Whistle and the Lament . i 

126. To MissDavies. Apology for 
neglecting her commands- 
moral reflections . . 14 

127. To Mrs Dunlop, 17th Decem- 
ber, enclosing " lhe song of 

Death" 



131. To Mr Cunningham, 3d March, 

1792. Commissions his arms to 
be cut on a seal— moral reflec- 
tions . . 147 

132. To Mrs Dunlop, 22d August. 
Account of his meeting with 
Miss L B , and enclos- 
ing a song on her . . ib. 

133. To Mr Cunningham, 10th 
Sept. Wild Apostrophe to a 
Spirit! ... 148 

134. To Mrs Dunlop, 24th Sep- 
tember. Account of his 
family ... 150 

135. To Mrs Dunlop. Letter of 
condolence under affliction . ib. 

136. To Mrs Dunlop, 6th Decem- 
ber, 1792, with a poem entitled, 
"The Rights of Woman" . ib. 

137. To .Miss B of Vork, 21st 

March, 1793. Letter of Friend- 
ship .... 151 

138. To Miss C , August, 

1793. Character and tempera- 
ment of a poet . . 152 

139. To John M'Murdo, Esq. De- 
cember, 1793. Repaying money ib. 

140. To Miss B , advising her 

what play to bespeak at the 
Dumfries Theatre . 153 

141. To a Lady in favour of a Play- 
er's Benefit . . ib. 

142. Extract to Mr , 1794. 

On his prospects in lhe Excise ib. 

143. To Mrs B . . ib. 

144. To the same. Describes his 
melancholy feelings . 154 

145. To the same, lending Werter ib. 

146. To the same, on a return of 
interrupted friendship . ib. 

147. To the same, on a temporary 
estrangement . . ib. 

148. To John Syme, Esq. Reflec- 



O- 



the happin 



f Mr 



;, 1796. 



149. To Miss , requesting 

the return of MSS. lent to a de- 
ceased friend . . 15 

150. To Mr Cunningham, 25lh Feb- 
ruary, 1794. Melancholy re- 
flections—cheering prospects of 

a happier world . . il 

151. To Mrs R Supposed 

to be written from " The dead 
to the living " . .15 

152. To Mrs Dunlop, 15th Decem- 
ber, 1795. Reflections on the 
situation of bis family, if he 
should die— praise of the poem 
entitled, " The Tax" . il 

153. To the same, in London, 20th 
December, 1795 . . 15 

154. To Mrs R , 20th January, 

1796. 1 hanks for the travels 
ofAnacharsis . . It 

155. To Mrs Dunlop, 31st January, 
1796. Account of the Death of 
his daughter, and of his own ill 
health 

156. To Mrs R , 4th Jui 

Apology for not ffoing to the 
birth-night assembly . . i 

157. To Mr Cunningham, 7th 
July, 1796. Account of his ill- 
ness and of his poverty— antici- 
pation of his death . It 

158. To Mrs Burns. Sea-bathing 
affords little relief . i 

159. To tors Dunlop, 12th July, 
1796. Last farewell . i 

POEMS. 

The twa dogs : a tale . . K 

Scotch Drink .... It 
The author's earnest cry and prayer 
to the Scotch representatives in 
the House of Commons . H 

The Holy Fair ... 16 

Death and Dr Hornbook . 1: 

The Brigs of Ayr T 

The Ordination .. . . . to 

The Calf 1! 

Address to the Deil . . V, 

The death and dying words of Poor 

Mailie V, 

Poor Mailie's Elegy . . i 

To J. S*** ... U 

A Dream ... M 

The Vision II 

Address to the Unco Guid, o 



1S3 
184 
185 



Rigidly Righteous 

Tam Samson's Elegy ; 

Halloween 

The Auld Farmer's New-year 
Morning Salutation to his Auld » 
Mare Maggie . . • . J °<> 

To a Mouse .... 188 

A Winter Night ... ib. 

Epistle to Davie, a Brother Poet 190 



The Lament . 1! 

Despondency : an Ode • . l! 

Winter: A Dirge 1 

The Cotter's Saturday Night . 
Man was made to Mourn: A 

A Prayer in the Prospect of Death 1 
Stanzas on the same occasion . 
Verses left at a Friend's House . 1 
The First Psalm ... 

A Praver .... 

The first six verses of the Nine- 
tieth Psalm . 
To a Mountain Daisie . • 1 

To Ruin 

To Miss L , with Beattie's 

Poems, for a New- Year's Gift 

Epistle to a Young Friend . 1 

On a Scotch Bard gone to the West 



Indie: 



To 



. Luu, 



oG- 



H_ 



Lady's Bonnet at Church . 20 
Address to Edinburgh . . 20 
Epistle to J. Lapraik, an old Scot- 
tish Bard .... it 
To the same .... 20 

Epistle to W. S , Ochiltree 20 

Epistle to J." R , enclosing 

some Poems ... 20 

John Barleycorn : A Ballad . 20 
A Fragment, ' When Guildford 

good our Pilot stood,' . . il 

Song, « It was upon a Lammas 

Night' . . . . 2C 

Song, ' Now westlin winds, and 

slaught'ringguns, . . il 

Song, ' Behind yon hills where 

Lugar flows,' . . . 2C 

Green grows the Rashes : A Frag- 

Song, 'Again rejoicing Nature 

Song- ' The gloomy Night is gather- 
ing fast' .... 21 
Song, ' From thee, Eliza, I must 

go' il 

The Farewell, to the Brethren of 

St James's Lodge, Tarl.olton 21 
Song, ' No Churchman am I for to 

rail and to write . . it 

Written in Friar's Carse Hermitage il 

Ode to the .Memory of Mrs , 

of .... 21 

Elegy on Captain Matthew Hender- 
son il 

Lament of ?.! arv Cjueen of Scots 2 i 
To Robert Graham, Esq. of Fintry 21 
Lament for James, Earl of Glen- 
Lines sent to Sir John Whitefoord, 

with the foregoing Poem . 
Tam o' Shanter : A Tale 
On seeing a wounded Hare a fellow 

had Shot at . 
Address to_the Shade of Thomson 217 



Epitaph en a celebrated Ruling 
"'der 218 

— on a noisy Polemic . ib. 
on Wee Johnny . ib. 

— for the Auihor's Father ib. 

for R. A. Esq. . ib. 

for G. H. E = q. . ib. 

A Bard's Epitaph ... ib. 

On Captain Grose's Peregrina- 

Dn Miss Crui'kshanks ' '. '. 219 

song, ' Anna, thy charms my 
bosom fire, ... ib. 

On the death of John M'Leod, 
Esq. ib. 

Humble Petition of Bruar Water 220 

On Scaring some Water Fowl . ib. 

Written at the Inn in Tavmouth 221 
at the Fall of Fyers . ib. 

On the Birth of a Posthumous Child ib. 

The Whistle .... 222 

Second Epistle to Davie, a Brother 
Poet 223 

On my Early Days ... ib. 

Song, ' In Mauchline there dwells 
six proper \oung Belles ' . 224 

On the Death of Sir James Hunter 
Blaif ..... ib. 

Written on the blank leaf of a copy 
ot the Poems presented to an old 
Sweetheart then married . ib. 

The Jolly Beggars : A Cantata 225 

"" e Kirk's Alarm : A Satire . 228 
etwa Herds . . . 229 

The Henpecked Husband . 230 

Elegy on the year 1778 . . ib. 

" ;es written on the Window of 
le Inn at Carron ■ . ib. 

Lines delivered by Burns on his 

Death-bed .... ib 
^ines delivered by Burns at a Meet- 
ing of the Dumfries-shire Volun- 



Address to W. Tytler, Esq. . 2' 

i Gentleman who had sent a 

ewspaper and offered to con- 

lue it .... 2' 

On Pastoral poetry . . i 

"l New Year's day . 2< 

On Mr William Smellie . 2 
On the Death ot Mr Riddel . i 
nscription for an altar to indepen- 
dence i 

Monody on a Lady famed for her 

Answer to a Surveyor's mandate 2< 
Impromptu on Mrs 's Birth- 
day 2'i 

To Miss Jessy L . i 



To .Mr .Mitchell 

To a Gentleman whon 

fended 
On Life, addressed 



Address to the Tooth-ache . 24 
To R. Graham, Esq. od receiving a 

favour . . . .25 

Epitaph on a Friend . . il 

Grace before Dinner . . il 

On Sensibility, to Mrs Dunlop i] 

On taking leave at a place in the 

Highlands .... 25 
Written in Friars-Carse Hermitage, 

on Nithside . . . . 1C 
Epistle to R. Graham, Ksq. . 11 
On seeing a Wounded Hare . IS 
To Dr Blacklock . . . IS 

Prologue ... 15 

Elegy on the late Miss Burnet of 

Monboddo .... 13 
The Rights of Woman . . It 
Address, spoken by Miss Fon- 

tenelle 1' 

INDEX TO THE POETRY, 



Adieu ! a heart-warm, fond 

adieu! 211 

Admiring Nature in her wildest 

grace 221 

Adown winding Nith I did wan- 
der 274 

Again rejoicing Nature sees . 209 
Again the silent wheels of lime 198 
A guid New-year I wish thee, 31ag- 

gie I . . . 188 

Ah ope, Lord Gregory, thy door 262 
All hail ! inexorable lord . 198 

Among the heathy hills and ragged 

woods . 221 

Ance mair I hail thee, thou gloomy 

December .... 239 
An' O for ane and twenty, Tarn 237 
An honest man here lies'at rest 250 
Anna, thv charms mv bosom fire 219 
A rose-bud by my early walk . 232 
As down the burn they took their 

way 277 

As I stood by yon roofless tower 241 
As Mailie and her lambs thegither 177 
Awa wi' your witchcraft o' beauty's 

alarms .... 241 

A' ye wha live by soups o* drink 199 
Beauteous rose-bud, young and gay 219 
Behind yon hills where Lugar 

flows 209 

Behold the hour, the boat arrives 276 
Below thir stanes lie Jamie's banes 218 
Blvthe, blythe and merry was she 232 
Blythe hae I been on yon hill . 2C9 
Bonnie wee thing, cannie wee 

thing 237 

But lately seen in gladsome green 290 
By Allan stream I chanced to rove 273 
By yon castle wa', at the close of 

the day .... 141 

Canst thou leave me thus, my 

Katy . . 294 



Ca' the yowes to the knowes . 285 
Clarinda, mistress of my soul . 233 
Come let me take thee to my breast 274 
Contented wi' little and canty wi' 

mair 294 

Curs'd be the man, the poorest 
wretch in life . . . 230 

Dear S , the sleest, paukie thief 178 

Deluded swain, the pleasure . 281 
Does haughty Gaul invasion threat 248 
Duncan Gray came here to woo 260 
Dweller in von dungeon dark . 212 
E dina! Scotia's darling seat . * 202 
Expect na, Sir, in this narration 200 
Fairest maid on Devon banks . 304 
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face 200 
Farewell thou stream that wind- 
ing flows .... 268 
Farewell thou fair doy, thon green 

earth, and ye skies . . 50 

Fate gave the word, the arrow sped 240 
Flow gently, sweet Afton, among 

thy green braes . . . 239 
For lords, or kings I dinna mourn 230 
Forlorn, my love, no comfort near 301 
Friend of the Poet, tried and leal 248 
From thee, Eliza, I must go . 210 
Gane is the day, and mirk's the 

night 236 

Go fetch to me a pint o' wine . 114 
Green grow the rashes, O . 209 

Guid morning to your Majesty . 179 
Had I a cave on some wild uistant 

shore ..... 273 
Hail, Poesy ! thou Nymph re- 
served 243 

Ha ! whare ye gaun, ye crowlin 

ferlie 201 

Has auld K seen the 

Deil 184 

Hear, Land o' Cakes, and brither 

Scots 218 

Here awa, there awa, wandering 

Willie 263 

The same altered . . . 264 

Here Souter in death does 

sleep 21 8 

He who of R— k-n sang, lies stiff 

and dead . . - . 23C 

Here is the glen, and here the 

bower 284 

Here's a health to -tie I lo'e dear 304 
Here, where the Scottish Muse im- 
mortal lives . . . 284 
How can my poor heart be glad 285 
How cold is that bosom which folly 
once fired .... 245 

How cruel are the parents . 299 
How long and dreary is the night 289 
Hew pleasant the banks of the clear- 
winding Devon 
Husband, husband cease your strife 283 
I call no goddess to inspire mv 
strains ... . . . 250 

I gaed a waefu' gate yeJ-treen . 234 
I gat vour letter, winsome Willie 204 
I hae 'a wife o' mine ain 45 



I 



I Iang hae thought, my youfhfu' 

friend 199 

I mind it weel, in early date . . 223 
I'm three times doubly o'er your 

debtor ib. 

In Mauchline there dwells six pro- 
per young belles , . . 224 
In simmer when the hay was mawn 237 
Inhuman man! curse on thy bar- 
barous art .... 217 
Instead of a song, boys, I'll give you 

a toast 230 

I sing of a whistle, a whistle of 

worth ..... 222 
Is there a whim-inspired fool . 218 
Is there, for honest poverty . 296 
It was the charming month of May 291. 
It was upon a Lammas night . 208 
Jockey's ta'en the parting kiss . 249 
John Anderson my jo, John . 235 
Keen blaws the wind o'er Donnocht 

head 288 

Ken you ought o ' Captain Grose 250 
tvilmarnock wabsters, fidge an' 

claw 174 

Kind Sir, I've read your paper 

through 243 

Know thou, O stranger to the fame 218 
Lament in rhyme, lament in prose 177 
Lassie wi' the" lintwhite locks . 291 
Last May a braw wooer cam down 

the lang glen .... 302 
Late crippled of an arm, and now a 

leg 214 

Let me wander where I will . 282 
Let not a woman e'er complain 289 
Let other poets raise a fracas . 165 
Long, long the night . . 298 

Loud blaw the frosty breezes . 231 
Louis, what reck I by thee . 240 
Mark yonder pcmp of costly fashion 299 
Maxwell, if merit here you crave 287 
Musing on the roaring ocean . 232 
My ChloriSj mark how green the 

groves 290 

My curse upon your venom'd stang 249 
My heart is a-breaking, dear tit- 

My heart is sair, I darena tell . 240 
My honoured Colonel, deep I feel 248 
My lord, I know vmr noble ear 220 
My loved, my honour'd, much re- 
spected friend ... 193 
My Peggy's face, my Peggy's form 250 
Nae gentle dames, tho' e'er sae fair 246 
No churchman am I for to rail and 

No more of your guests, be they 

titled or not 
No more, ye warbiers of the wood, 

Now in her green mantle blythe 

nature arrays .... 
Now Nature hangs her mantle 

Now simmer blinks on flowery 



Now spring has clad the grove in 

green 300 

ow rosy May comes in wi' flowers 275 
ow westlin 1 winds and slaughter- 
ing guns 208 

O a* ye pious godly flocks . ... 229 
O bonny was yon rosy brier . 301 
O cam ye here the fight to shun 244 
O condescend, dear charming maid 282 
O death ! thou tyrant fell and 

bloody ..... 212 
O gin my love were yon red rose 269 
Of a 1 the airts the wind can blaw 234 
O had the malt thy strength of mind 24S 
Oh open the door, some pity to 

show 263 

O ken ye what Meg o' the Mill has 

gotten 265 

Lassie art thou sleeping yet . 297 
leeze me on my spinning wheel 237 
O leeze me on my wee thing . 259 
Old Winter with his frosty beard 247 
O Logan, sweetly didst thou glide 269 
" ' ve will venture in where it. 

rena weel be seen . . 238 
O Mary, at thy window be . 263 
O Mav, thy mom was ne'er sae 
sweet ..... 241 
mirk, mirk is this midnight hour 262 
mickle thinks my love c' my 
beauty ..... 236 
„ my luve's like a red red rose . 241 
Once fondly loved, and still remem- 

ber'ddear .... 224 

O poortith cauld, and restless love 260 

OPbilly, happvbethatday . 293 

Oppress'd with grief, oppiessd 

with care .... 192 

O rough, rude, ready-witted R 204 

Orthodox, orthodox, wha believe in 
John Knox .... 228 

O saw ye bonny Lesly . . 258 
O saw ye my dear, my Phely . 288 
O stay, sweet warbling woodlark, 
stay ...... 298 

O tell na me o' wind and rain . 297 
O this is no my ain lassie . . 300 
O Thou dread Power who reign'st 

above 197 

O Thou Great Being, what thou 

O Thou pale orb, that silent shines 191 
O Thou, the first, the greatest friend 197 
O Thou unknown. Almighty Cause 196 
O thou ! whatever title suit thee 176 
O Thou who kindly dost provide 250 
O Tibbie, I hae seen the day . 233 
O wat ye wha's in yon town . 241 
O wha is she that lo'es me . 249 
O were I on Parnassus' hill . 234 
O were my love von lilach fair . 270 
O whistle and I'll come to you, my 

lad 273 

A variation in the chorus . . 30O, 
O Willie brew'd a peck o' maut 234 
O wert thou in the cauld blast . 247 
O ye wha are sae guid yoursel . 183 



O ye whose cheek the tear of pity 

stains 218 

Raving winds around her blowing 232 
Revered defender of beauteous 

Stuart 242 

Right Sir ! your text I'll prove it 

true 175 

Sad thy tale, thou idle page . 21 9 
Sae flaxen were her ringlets . 286 
Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled 279 
■ i !ity how charming . . 250 
She is a winsome wee thing . 258 
She's fair and fause that causes my 

smart 233 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot 278 
Sing on, sweet thrush, upon thy leaf- 
less bough ....'- 
Sir, as your mandate did request 246 
Sleep'st thou, or wakest thou, fairest 

Slow spreads the gloom my soul de- 
sires 239 

Some books are lies frae end to end 170 
Stop, passenger ! my story's brief 213 
Stay, my charmer, can you leave me 231 
Stay, my Willie— yet believe me 294 
Streams that glide in orient plains 43 
Sweet fa's the eve on Cragie-bum 296 
Sweet flow'ret, pledge o' meikle 

love 221 

The Catrine woods were yellow 

seen 234 

The day returns, my bosom burns 233 
The friend whom wild from wis- 
dom's way .... 248 
The gloomy night is gath'ring fast 210 
The hunter lo'es the morning sun 260 
The lamp of day. with ill-presaging 

glare 224 

Their groves o' sweet myrtle let 

foreign lands reckon . . 298 
The lazy mist hangs from the brow 

of the hill .... 233 
The lovely lass o' Inverness . 240 
The man, in life, wherever placed 197 

The poor man weeps— here G n 

sleeps 218 

The simple Bard, rough at the rus- 
tic plough . . . . 172 
The small birds rejoice in the preen 

leaves returning . . . 104 
The smiling spring comes in rejoic- 
ing 240 

The sun had closed the winter day 180 
The Thames flows proudly to the 

sea 235 

The wind blew hollow frae the lulls 215 
The wintry west extends his blast 193 
There's auld Rob Moms that wons 

in yon glen .... 260 
There's braw, braw lads on Yarrow 

braes 261 

There was a lass and she was fair 270 
There was once a day, but old Time 

was then yoang . . . 242 
There were three kings into the 
east .•'.... 207 



They snool me sair, and haud me 

down 237 

Thickest night o'erhangs my dwell- 
ing 231 

Thine am I, my faithful fair . 282 
Thine be the volumes, Jessy fair 247 
This day, Time winds th' exhausted 

chain 244 

Thou hast left me ever, Jamie . 278 
Thou of an independent mind . 245 
Thou sweetest minstrel of the grove 282 
Thou whom chance may hither lead 21 1 
Thou, who thy honour as thy God 

reverest . . . . . 215 
,'dship's pledge, my young 

fair friend . . . . 301 

to Crochallan came . 245 

'Twas e'en, the dewy fields were 

green 31 

'T was in that place o' Scotland's isle 1 63 
True hearted was he, the sad swain 

o' the Yarrow ... 264 

Turn again, thou fair Eliza . 237 
'Twas na her bonnie blue e'e was 

my ruin 298 

Upon a simmer Sunday morn . 168 
Upon that night, when fairies light 185 
We cam na here to view your warks 230 
Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower 198 
Wee> sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous 

beastie 189 

What can a young lassie, what shall 

a young lassie . . , 236 

When biting Boreas, fell and doure 183 
When chapman billies leave the 

street ..... 215 
When chill November's surly blast 195 
When Death's dark stream I ferry ' 

o'er 251 

When Guilford good our pilot stood 207 
When lyart leaves bestrew the yird 225 
When o'er the hill the eastern star 256 
When wild war's deadly blast was 

blawn 365 

Where are the joys I hae met in the 

morning . . . . . 278 
The same with an additional stanza 280 
Where braving angry winter's 

storms . . . . . 252 
Where Cart rins rowin to the sea 240 
While briers an' woodbines budding 

green 202 

While larks with little wing . 272 
While new-ca'd kye rout at the 

stake 203 

While virgin flood 217 

While winds frae aff Ben Lomond 

blaw 190 

Whoe'er thou art, O reader, know 218 
Why am I loath to leave this earthly 

scene 196 

Why, why tell thy lover . . 302 
Why, ye tenants of the lake . W.O 
Willie Wastle dwalt on Tweed 23S 
Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary 257 
Wilt thou be my dearie . . 239 
The same 283 



With musing deep, astonish'd stare i 
Ye banks, and braes, &c. . S 
Ye banks and braes o' bonny Doon S 
Ye Irish lords . . ] 



ME THOMSON AND JIR BURNS. 

1. Mr Thomson to Mr Burns. 1792. 
Desiring the Bard to furnish 
verses for some of the Scottish 
airs, and to revise former songs 255 

2. Mr B. to Mr T. Promising as- 

3. MrT. to Mr B. With some tunes 256 

4. Mr B. to MrT. With 'The 
Lee Rig,' and '-.Will ye go to the 
Indies, mv Mary' . . ib. 

5. Mr B. to Mr T. With « My 
wife's a -winsome wse thing," and 
'O saw ve bonny Lesley' . 257 

6. Mr B. to Mr T. With < High- 
land Mary* .... 258 

7. Mr T. to Mr B. Thanks and 
critical observations . . 259 

8. Mr B. to Mr T. With an addi- 
tional stanza ' The lee Rig - " ib. 

9. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'Auld 
Rob Morris' and 'Duncan Gray' 260 

10. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'O 
Poortith Cauld,' &c. and'Gaila 



24. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Blythe^*' 
hae I been on yon hill' s . 268 

25. Mr B. to Mr T. With c O 
Logan, sweetly didst thou glide' 

— « O gin my love,' &c. . 269 
5. Mr T. to Mr B. Enclosing a 
note-Thanks . . . 270 

27. .Mr B. to Mr T. With ' There 
was a lass and she was fair ' . ib- 

28. Mr B. to Mr T. Hurt at the 
idea of pecuniary recompense — 



press: 



) Mr 



Musical e 



271 

ib. 



Wate 



ib. 



11. Mr T. to Mr B. Jan. 1793. 
Desiring anecdotes on the origin 
of particular songs. Tytler of 
Woodhouselee— Pl'evel— sends P. 
Pindar's ' Lord Gregory.' Post- 
script from the Hon. A". Erskkie 261 

12. Mr B. to Mr T. Has Mr Tyt- 
ler 's anecdotes, and means to 
give his own— sends his own 

• Lord Gregory' . . 262 

15. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Mary 
Morrison' .... 263 

14. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Wan- 
dering Willie' ... ib. 

15. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Open 
the door tome, Oh!' . ib. 

16. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Jussie' 264 

17. Mr T. to Mr B. With a list of 
songs, and ' Wandering Willie' 
altered .... ib. 

18. Mr B. to Mr T. ' When wild 
war's,' &e. and' Meg o' the Mill' 2fi5 

19. Mr B. to Mr T. Voice of 
Cdila— criticism— Origin of ' The 
Lass o' Patie's Mill' . . ib. 

20. Mr T. to Mr B. . . 267 

21. Mr B. to Mr T. Simplicity re- 
quisite in a song — one poet should 
not mangle the works of another ib. 

22. Mr B. to Mr T. ' Farewell, 
thou stream that winding flows' — 
Wishes that the national musk: 
may preserve its native features 268 

23. Mr T. to Mr B. Thanks and 
observations ... ib. 



30. Mr B. to Mr T. For Mr 
Clarke .... 272 

31. MrB. to MrT. With'Phillis 
the fair ' . . . ib. 

32. MrT. to Mr B. Mr Allan- 
Drawing from ' John Anderson 
my jo' .... ib. 

33. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'Had I 

to Scotland and Ireland . ib. 

34. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' By Al- 
n stream I chanced to rove' 273 

35. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'Whis- 
tle and I'll come to you, my lad,' 
and • Awa wi' your belles and your 
beauties' .... ib 

36. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'come 

let me take thee to my breast' 274 

37. Mr B. to Ivlr T. ' Daintie Davie' 275 

38. Mr T. to Mr B. Delighted 
with the productions of Burns' 
muse ib. 

39. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Bruce 

to his troops at Bannockburn' ib. 

40. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'Be- 
hold the hour the boat arrive' 276 

41. Mr T.to MrB. Observations 

on ' Bruce to his troops' . ib. 

42. Mr B. to Mr T. Remarks on 
songs in Mr T.'s list^His ,oim 
method of forming a song — 
* Thou hast left me ever, Jamie' 
— 'Where are the joys I hae met 

in the morning' — 'auld langsyne' 277 

43. Mr B. to Mr T. With a varia- 
tion of ' Bannockburn' . 279 

44. MrT. to MrB. Thanks and 
observations ... ib. 

45. Mr B. to Mr T. ' On Ban- 
nockburn*— sends ' Fair Jenny" 280 

46. MrB. to MrT. With 'Delud- 
ed swain, the pleasure'— Remarks 281 

47. .Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Thine 
am I, my faithful fair"—' O con- 
descend, dear charming maid' — 
— ' The nightingale' — ' Laura' — 
(the three last by G. Turnbull) ip 

48- Mr T. to Mr B. Apprehen- 
sions— Thanks . . . 283 

49. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'Hus- 
band, husband, cease your strife' 
and ' Wilt thou be my dearie' ib. 

50. Mr T. to Mr B. 1794. Mel- 
ancholy comparison between 



Burns and Carlini— Mr Allan 
has begun a sketch from the Cot- 
tar's Saturday Night . 2 J 

51. Mr B. to Mr T. Praise of Mr 
Allan—' Banks of Cree' . 2S 

52. Mr B. to Mr T. Pleyel in 
France—' Here where the Scot- 



sented to Miss Graham 
. try, 



ss,' pre- 
of fin. 



55. Mr T. to Mr B. Does not ex- 
pect to hear from Pleyel soon, 
but desires to be prepared with 
the poetry . . . . : 

54. Mr B. to Mr T. With * On the 

seas and far away' 
55- Mr T. to Mr B. Criticism 2 

56. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Cu' 
the yowes to the knowes' 

57- Mr B. to Mr T. With 'She 
says she loes of a'— '0 let me 
in,' &c Stanza to Br Maxwell 2 

58- Mr T. to Mr B. Advising him 
to write a Musical Drama . 5 

59. Mr T. to Mr B. Has boen ex- 
amining Scottish collections — 
Ritson— Difficult to obtain an- 
cient melodies in their original state 

60. Mr B. to Mr T. Recipe for 
producing a love-song—' Saw ye 
my Phely'— Remarks and anec- 
dotes— 'How long and dreary is 
the night'—' Let not woman e'er 
complain'— • The lover's morn- 
ing salute to his mistress'—' The 
Auld Man'-' Keen blaws the 
wind o'er Donnochthead,' in a note 288 

61. Mr T. to Mr B. Wishes he 
knew the inspiring Fair One — 
Ritson 's historical essay not inte- 
resting — Allan — Maggie Lauder 290 

62. Mr B. to Mr T. Has begun his 
Anecdotes, &c — 'My Chloris 
mark how green the groves' — 
Love — ' It was the charming 
month of May'—' Lassie wi' the 
lint-white locks'— History of the 
Air ' Ye banks and braes o' bon- 
ny Doon'— James Miller— Clarke 
—The black keys— Instances of 
the difficulty of tracing the origin 



67. Mr B. to Mr T. 1795. With 
' For a' that an a' that' and'' Sweet 
fa's the eve on Craigiebum' 296 

38. Mr T. to Mr B. Thanks . 297 

39. Mr B. to Mr T. 'O Lassie, 
art thou sleeping yet,' and the 
Answer .... ib. 

70. Mr B. to Mr T. 'Dispraise of 
Ecclefechan' ... ib. 

71. Mr T. to Mr B. Thanks . ib, 

72. Mr B. to Mr T. « Address to 
the Woodlark'— ' On Chloris be- 
ing ill'—' Their groves o' sweet 
myrtle,' &c. — ' Twas na her bon- 
ny blue e'e,' &c. . . 298 

73. Mr T. to Mr B. With Allan's 
design from ' The Cottar's Satur- 
day Night' .... 299 

74. Mr B. to Mr T. With « How 
cruel are the parents,' and 
',Mark yonder pomp of costly 



fashio 
75. Mr B. to Mr T. Thanks for 

ib. 

77. Mr B. to Mr J'. " Wi'th an im- 
„ provement in ' Whistle and I'll 

come to you, my lad'— '.O this is 

has clad our groves in green*—' O 
bonny was yon rosie brier' — * 'Tis 
. Friendship's pledge, my young, 
fair friend' 500 

78. Mr T. to Mr B. Introducing 
Dr Brianton ... 301 

79. Mr B. to Mr T. ' Forlorn my 



of ancient airs ... ib. 

63. Mr T. to Mr B. With three 
copies of the Scottish airs . 292 

64. Mr B. to Mr T. With 'O 
Philly, happy be that day"— start- 
ing note—' Contented wi' little, 
and cantie wi 1 mair' — ' Canst 
thou leave me thus, my Katy' — 
(The reply, ' Stay my Willlie— 
yet believe me,' in a note) — Stock 
and horn .... 293 

65. Mr T. to Mr B. Praise— Desires 
more songs of the humurous cast 
— Means to- have a picture from 



loi 



mfort n. 



„„. Mr B. to Mr T, ' Last May a 
braw,' &c— ' Why, why tell thy 
lover,' a fragment ... 31 

81. Mr T. to Mr B. . . i 

82. Mr T. to Mr B. 1796. After 
an awful pause . . 3( 

83. Mr B. to Mr T. Thanks for P. 
Pindar, ,&c. — ' Hey for a lass wi' 



ib. 



85. Mr B. to Mr T. Afflicted by 
sickness, but pleased with Mr 
Allan's etchings . . it 

86. Mr. T. to Mr B. Sympathy- 
encouragement . . 3G 

87. Mr B. to Mr T. With ' Here's 

a health to ane I lo'e dear' . il 

i8. Mr B. to Mr T. Introducing 
Mr Lewars — Has taken a fancy to 
review his songs — hopes to re- 

89. Mr B. to Mr;*T. .Dreadingrthe 
horrors of a jail, solicits the ad- 
vance of five pounds, and encloses 

' Fairest maid on Devon banks' i 

90. Mr T. to Mr B. Sympathy— 
. Advises a volume of poetry to be 

published by subscription, Pope 
published the Iliad so . 3( 



ROBERT BURNS: 



A CRITICISM ON HIS LIFE AND WRITINGS. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE SCOTTISH PEASAN'TKY". 



LIFE 



ROBERT BURNS. 



PREFATORY REMARKS. 

THOUGH the dialect in which many of the 
happiest effusions of Rorert Barns are com- 
posed, be peculiar to Scotland, jet his reputa- 

as the offspring of original genius, by persons 
of taste in every part of the sister islands. The 



hich both divisions of 
, and which, in a coo- 
ded from the eve of the 






the seat of two ni 



Union, Scotland, t 



and children from penury, are printed and pub- 
lished in England. It seems proper, therefore, 

but also by natives of England, and™" other 
countries where the English language is spjken 

Robert Burns was in reality what he has 

generally intelligible, it seems, therefore, ad- 
apter and situation of the order to which he 
belonged,-a class of men distinguished bymany 
peculiarities : by this means we shall form a 
more correct notion of the advantages with 
which he started, and of the obstacles which he 
surmounted. A few observations on the Scot- 
tish peasantry will not, perhaps, be found 

in every branch of philosophy and literature; 
and her history, while a separate and indepen- 
dent nation, has been successfully explored. 
But the present character of the people was not 
then formed ; the nation then presented features 
similar to those which the feudal system and 
the catholic religion had diffused over Europe, 
modified, indeed, bv the peculiar nature of bet 
territory and climaie. The Reformation, by 

on the national character, w"as%e\dny P fo°lo U wed 
by the Accession of the Scottish mouarchs to 
the English throne; and the period which 



toy has been in a'gUatme^ure formed, thoogh 

the political causes affecting it are to be traced 
to the previous acts of her separate legislature. 
A slight acquaintance with the peasantry of 
Scotland, will serve to convince an unpreju- 
diced observer, that they possess a degree of 
intelligence not generally found among the same 

In the very humblest condition of the Scottish 
peasants, every one c 



skilled in writing and anth- 
er the disguise of their uncouth 



These advantages they owe to the legal pro- 

1646, for the establishment of a school in 
every parish throughout the kingdom, for the 
express purpose of educating the" poor ; a law 
which may challenge comparison with ai.y act 
of legislation to be found in the records of his- 
tory, whether we consider the wisdom cf the 
ends in view, the simplicity of the mtar.s em- 
ployed, or the provisions made to render these 

lenT'statnte was repealeS U on°the accession of 

Charles II. in 1660, together with all the 
other laws passed during the commonwealth, 

slept during the reigns of Charles and James, 
but was re-enacted precisely in the same terms, 
by the Scottish parliament, after the Revolution 

• J -ith the peace and security arising 



from that 



appy c 






DIAMOND CABINET LIBEAEY. 

The church-estafc 



* The importance of the national establish- 

peeting it, e-peeiaily as the subject has escaped 

By°aa" "t of the king (James VI. ) and privy 
council, of the 10th of December, 1616, it was 
recommended to the bishops to deale and travel 
■with the heritors (land proprietors), and the 



e fixinj 



parish. 
I. (the ac 



a parish, or of a majority of the inhabi 
the heritors refused to attend the mee 
assess every plough of land (that is 
farm, in proportion to the number of 
up.jn it) with a certain sum for establi 






>ve L. 11, 2s. 3d. e 

rated for the snppor 



the clergy, and 

the land-tax. But in case the heritors of any 

parish, <<r lii.- aiajurity <A (ht-m, -hould fail to 

n.-eharire this duty, then the persons forming 

what is called the Commit!:- »! -■ , 

cu.ity, i consisting of the principal land'liobier^ 

'f'Myrneofthem, are authorised by the sta' ' 

to impose the assessment instead of them, 

the representation of the presbytery in -wl 

the parish is situated. To secure the choic 

a proper teacher, the right of 



made subject to 
esbytery of th( 



, lui 22, 

urolof the 



the approbation of the presbytery ; who, if they 



shment of Scot! 



and is 877 ; and if we allow the salary of 
pounds Sterl 



,.• L. (11311 S 
laid by the 



ng. Ifw 



sup- 



probably beyond 
le truth, the total of the expences among 
,526,492 persons fthe whole population of 
icotland) of this most important establishment 
will be L. IS, 417. But on this, as well as on 
meeting Scotlan ' 



Analysis of h 

he immortal i 


xpected fro 


which will 


f the poor, w 


Scotland from the in. 
as soon felt J and by an 



6, it is enacted, " that of the moneys arising 
from the sale of the Scottish estates, forfeited 
in the rebellion of 17 15, L. 2,000 sterling shall 



for propagati 

porat.-d in 17 
th.-ir fu:.d foi 

bv them, in supp 
Highlands and I 



4 for the same purpose. By their re- 
May, 1795, the annual sum employed 

Lv them, in supporting their schools in ihe 



aught the E 
g, and the 
lis of the i 



i, that though they may often 
o feed and clothe them, some 









ear 169S, Fletcher of 


Saltoun dec 




1 a_- fo 


















r to door. And thoush 




>f l 




perhaps double to what 


it was form 


rlv 


l,. r»a 


on of this present great 




'mi 


ne the 


n prevailed) yet in all 






been a 




sandofthos 


va 


abonds 


who have lived without 



the land, or even those of God and Natuie ; 
fathers incestuously accompanying with their 
own daughters, the son with the mother, and 
the brother with the sister." He goes on to. 

one in a hundred went out of the world. He 



ed, which may be call: 
natural patron and supei 



BURNS PREFATORY REMARKS. 



mol-establish- 



ibled it 



frequently guilty of re 



riot for many day 



according to the practice of his adon 
in the classic ages ! A better remedy has been 
found, which in the silent lapse of a century- 
has proved effectual The statute of 1696, 
the noble legacy of the Scottish Parliament to 
their country, began soon after this to operate ; 
and happily, as the minds of the poor received 
instruction, the Union opened new channels of 

At the present day there is perhaps no coun- 
try in Europe, in which, in proportion to its 
population, so small a number of crimes fall 

Scotland. "We have the best authority' 
asserting, that on an average of thirty yea 
preceding the year 1797, the executions in L 



F the teacher, and the proti- 
ency of the scholars. The teacher himself is 
ten a candidate for holy orders, who, during 
le long course of study and probation required 
the Scottish church* renders the time which 
in be spared from his professional studies, 

g the respectable character of a school 



blished sc 
he country parishes of Scotlan 

le farmers, and so 



K,1S, 



ion, that they may obtain, 

one of their sons at least, the precarious 

intage of a learned education. The difficulty 

e surmounted, arises, indeed, not from the 

— r ense of instructing their children, but from 

the charge of supporting them. In the country 

- irish schools, the English language, writing, 






are the subjects of this ii 
the community to which they 
■ on the whole favourable 
orals, though doubtles: 



ii the t 






1 by the 



aim 


alb. ; 


and 






sess 


ions for t 






nrhf 


ster only 




t, accordi 


to \ 


r Hui 




lore felon 




the 






all th 




ges of Sc 








the 






ear.r H m 












il-.i 




of the mai 


thou 






duals in 


Ma 










n neithe 








rnaj 


aS'fo 


' th. 


,e who 5 


itfei 


th 


part of En 



equally clear, that it is the cause of that spirit 
of emigration and of adventure so prevalent 
among the Scotch. Knowledge has, by Lord 
Verulam, been denominated power ; by others 
it has, with less propriety, been denominated 
virtue or happiness : we may with confidence 



ie people of New England, can scarcely 



livided, i 



ortlu-n 



■ "'""•- > >= 



3 of i 



North A 

origin there, excepting" in New England, where 

they were establishedln the last century, pro- 

by the same religious sect. In the Protestant 
Cantons of Switzerland, the peasantry have 
nilar schools, though estab- 



lished and endowed ii 

Enjland, particularly, in the m 
Yorkshire and of Lancashire, a 
ties of Westmoreland and Cum! 

I "by the~Par 






poor, was passed by 
land; but the fund w 






a lead. How much 
llect, and in happi- 



rew Fletcher, 
i the Laws of 



mtry of Westmoreland, "and of the 
Mher districts mentioned above, if their physi- 
cal and moral qualities be taken together, are, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



i, has his wishes en- 


The preachers of the Reformatio 


ans of gratifying those 


land were disciples of Calvin, an 




with them the temper as well as tl 




that celebrated heresiarch. The p 


d, and discovering ad- 


form of worship and of church gover 



by his imagination ; and distant and unt 

object*, giving freer scope to the operation of 
this faculty, often acquire, in the mind of the 
youthful adventurer, an attraction from " ' 
very distance and uncertainty. If, therefc 

peasantry of a country comparatively poo 
the neighbourhood of other countries ric 



turons natives of [he north over thefer 
of England, and more especially, ovei 

nies which = lte had settled in the Ea 



causes that originally impelled it, continue to 
operate ; and the richer country is constantly 



:sof 



* It 




been suppo 


ed, that Scotland is less 














; but such 


onclusions are doubtful, 


if not 
popuia 


"■ 


oily fallaci 


jus. The principle of 
juntry to the full extent 








is every where retarded 
ed out by nature, by the 






period pom 



The emigration of a part of a ] 
the marriage of the rest, by pi 






on Populatioju In faci 
ised in the number of ii 
st forty years, as the Stati; 



presbyteri 

endeared to the* people, from its being establish- 
ed by themselves. It was endeared to them, 
also, by the struggle it had to maintain with 
the Catholic and the Protestant episcopa 
churches, over both of which, after a hundrec 
years of fierce, and sometimes bloody conten- 
tion, it finally triumphed, receiving the coun- 

During* this long period of contention and oi 
suffering, the temper of the people became mort 






of fan: 



haracter of the people. The Cate 



ligious character i 
-book, 



young peasant as soon as he had acquir( 



mysteri 



esofthet 






,fter the Assembly 's Catechism, the Proverbi 
f Solomon, and the New and Old Testament, 
jllow in regular succession ; and the scholai 
eparts, gifted with the knowledge of thi 
acred writings, and receiving their doctrinr 



■ding t. 



f Faith. Thus 



if the West- 
s of Scotland, 



bs of the Scottisl 
opposition, in ev 
h of Rome. 



it recollect that tl 



afforded a subje 

-hose pictures 

thetypes are 1 



female natives of sXlandTalivt 
other, the excess by which the 






tland. But though the males 
be admitted to be as 13 to 12, 

es, this mode of calculating 
nake the number of expatriated 
ly one time alive, greater than 

,e Un h h aztdoufse n rvices 1 . n n which 
engage, render the mean life 



ness of his taste d 
the strength of hi 
the most exquisit< 
rendered until for 
The informatio 
of the peasantry ol 
of conduct, andh: 
—These good qua 
the establishment 



RJJENS. -PREFATORY REMARKS. 

its are singularly ex- by the parish schoolr 
ortunately the correct- the precentor, or by 
lways correspond with celebrated for their ] 



and the religions educ 



'formed ^anTk 
of psalmody is 



f th- 



idom of the English legish 

poor, who by age or di 
capable of labour, may i, 
asable duty of society ; ai 
of a plan for this purpo 






, were equally favi 



man, that of " 



hers of an op, 



lated by an instrument, the 



and directed by 



* Holy Willie's Prayer— Rob the Rytner'g 
Welcome to his Bastard Child— Epistle to J 
Gowdie -the Holy Tulzie, &c. 



generally of their 



dance by persons 



work at daily labour during tr 
months. The school is usually a 
the arena for the performers is generally a cl 
floor. The dome is lighted by candles stuck 
one end of a cloven stick, the other end 
which is thrust into the wall. Reels, strat 

the English peasantry, has no place amo 
them. The attachment of the people of Se< 
land, of every rank, and particularly of t 

dancing-schools ; and the instant that the vi 



ak in Scotlan 
loEnglandTaVi 



m 


u,i 




Iti 


probably to b 


e ascribed to th 


S 








which, thro 


ghout all its va 








s so full of sensibility 


and which in i 




-:: 










tl 




ind m dancing their na 


tural solace an 


" 






of the music 


of Scotland ove 








established r 




a, 


d 


bs 


ina." 


truggles. Th 
ent from the 


Jtkmg continue 


















jfthe 


relaxation whi 


h they perceive 








they 


perceive, in the Church, fror, 


o 


igit 


4 




aes and discip 


line, universal! 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 
dancing, and the kind are the subjects of m 



rf°the a y°uVof bo! 
3 practised to then 



The Reformation, which proved fatal to tin 
rise of the other fine arts in Scotland, proba- 
bly impeded, but could not obstruct, the pro- 
gress of its music ; a circumstance that wil 



in. a i 






intiquitv, 


tror 


ger than any 




d by 


i),..- n. 


searches of 






'"ti"' 






which th 






ha, m 




n'the 


people, is 


de 


pened by its 








national 








Colk 




of unequa 






tint pi. 




''ill,-. 




ke those of other 


























is the s 


ubjec 


ofth 


greater pr 


spo 


tion. With- 


out displayi 


g the 






s of the ima- 



poetry, and which the more polished strains 

rustic muU of Scotland, or of the greater 
number of those love-songs themselves, it 
would be difficult to trace ; they have accumu- 
lated in the silent lapse of time, and it is now 
perhaps impossible to give an arrangement of 

Their present influence on the character of 
To them we must attribute,' in a great rn, a, -.ire. 



songs, are early impresset 



gardless of the len° 
way. He approach 
disguise of night, 
dow, perhaps agreed 



small, but it is modified by m 

any other affection of the 
music and p 
snows of Lap— . 
of Angola, the savage is seen hastening t( 
mistress, and every where he beg " 
weariness of his journey with poetry ai 
In appreciating the happiness and 






te of the 



lisplays i 



the charac 

in society, 

scale of m 



1 excellence, and from the source 
affection, a stream of felicity de- 

. . i - '■■'. 



atively poor, and man approaches the condition 
of the brutes that perish, " If we could with 
safety indulge the pleasing supposition that 
rintial h'..-<i and that Ossian sung,-|-" Scot- 
land, judging from this criterion, might be 
considered as ranking high in happiness and 
virtue in very remote ages. To appreciate her 



t the character, 
people though 
powerfully con- 



ently and slowly 
trolled. In the poi 

idering the subject, the ecclesiastical 
ments of Scotland may be supposed 
l favourable to purity of conduct. 



.n of his arrival ; 
d again and ag 
ir one will obey 



e The North-American 

be weak, ana';. 
rd, unknown, seem n< 
:h the charms of poetry 
Hit's Tour. 

f Gibbon 



is^o 



n tli.? i 



and especially in that proiuuuu .u ,..,... 
licentiousness of the clergy had been can 
its greatest height-the intercourse betwe 

ed w?th austerity of manners, the discip 

thePr 1 ole S s S t U ant e ep ; iscop'ai e churcn 1 . i The pi 
rofillici 



BURNS PREFATORY REMARKS. 

.rt of the reforn 



throughou 



:o then 



e whicl 



■ 


egnanc 


takes pla 








causes the discovery, and 






in the first instance, that 


he cler 


. 



from the pulpit, for 
belongs, and thus 1 



scribed by the i i-t t t -. tland, is severe 

it, afforded them by the law respecting mar 
riage, the validity of which requires neither th 



monies, but simply the deliberat 
Dient of each other as husband ai 
by the parties before witnesses, o 
way that gives legal evidence o 
knowledgment having taken pli 



* In the punishment 


of Chi 


offence the 


Church employed formerly the 


m of the civi 


power. During th.- r.'iii 


a of Ja 


Jies the Vlth 


(James the First of Ens 


land), 






d perso 


ns was made 






(See Hume's 






land, VoU ii. 


p. 332.) which, from i 






much enforced, and whic 


a hallo 


ng fallen into 


di>use. When, in the mid 


dleofth 




the Puritans succeeded in 


the uv, 


rthrow of the 


monarchy in both divisior 


s of the 


i-;,nnl, forni- 




t which they directed 


their utmost zeal. It was mat 


e punishable 


with death in the second 




(See Black. 


stone, b. iv. chap. 4. iVo 


11./ 


Happily this 






ay along with 


the other acts of the Co 




ealth, on the 








manners it must have been 


p*-cuha 


ly abhorrent. 



archy, were re-enacted by the Scottish Parlia- 
ment, particularly that for the establishment of 
parish schools, the statute punishing fornica- 



of laxity 
t proauce 

proper.;. , 



part of the discipline of the chu 


rch. 


Thus, though the institution. 


of Scotland 


in many particulars favourabl 






i>-;L'l'iV; 


reflection, on the subject of man 




of this is true. Irregular ma 


riaire-. it n 


be naturally supposed, are ofte 


n improvid 






The children of such marriages 


poorly endo 




rtain degree 


forts ofl'ffe, °Ld a the a graiincatic 






they rind of more difficult atta 


nment in th 


native soil; and thus the ma 


rriaire laws 



description of men in the southern division of 
the island. Industry and the useful arts 
reached Scotland later than England; and 
though their advance has been rapid there, the 



id are as yet far infer! 



Europe, and has been established in 
rn a bastard, if his parent€ afterwams 
brothers afterwards born ill wedlock'. 






DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 






:r of their popuh 






national wars with England for the century 
succeeding, the civil wars common to both 
(Im.-i.mi of the island, and the dependence, 
perhaps the necessary dependence of the Scot- 
tish councils on those of the more powerful 
kingdom, counteracted this advantage. E' 



Lt,h f, 






. .. nately d 
produce. At lenirth, h<i«.-\.-r, ill".— h.-m-iita 
ate distinctly felt, and generally acknowledged. 
Property is secure; manufactures and eom- 



audfelt the advantages resulting from them, 
Hence property, as well as population, is ac- 



foresight, to be as yet onhj 
th.'.r pr.'gie.-s. \et then 
their way. To the cultiv 



ral'.f Th,- peculiarly social disposition of the 



arks are confined to the class of 



tageri 



e found 
labour. 



i the . 



I in the i 



of the ( 



abroad, of which th 


use especially wh 




s of Scotsmen i 


countries, must have 


Jiown many strik 


Since the TJnion, tr 


e manners and la 


of the people of Scotia 




dard among themseh 


es, but are tried 


standard of the nation 


to which they are 








that their mann 




a rapid change. 


the farmers of the pr 


sent day appear 


lessofthepeculiaritie 


of their country 


speech, than the men 


of letters of the la. 




never left the 


nor penetrated farther 


into England th 


lisle on the one han 


, or Newcastle 


other, had less of th 


e Scottish diale 


Hume, who lived for 


many years in t 


society of England a 
than Robertson, who 




De 1 e a nin°the 5 r J re e s°ect U s 


h purity ; and if 






British House of Corr 




would neither have fe 




deprived it of its due e 


fleet. 




r in the character 






will not be lost— the s 


rength of their d 


attachments. The p 
parents submit for the 






and particularly to obtain for them instr 



.1..." ! l'l ['■■■■ • ■ .''J: n' 

et partook largely of this amiable cha- 

inc'.ured with another striking isaiurr. 
'o them,— a partiality for his 



of w 



This, 






fessed, is a very strong and general sentiment 
among the natives of Scotland, differing how- 



pearing a selfish prejudice, 



as those who es 

tially will soon discover. _' 

in Scotland is now upwards of £.250, 000 a 
nually. In 1777, it did not reach L.8,00 
""---teof the duty has 



but, i 



ce, the 



nl strong in proportion to the physical 
idvantage of the soil ; but inquiry, far from 



BURNS PREFATORY REMARKS. 



countries less richly endowed, where the 
forts, and even necessaries of life, must bs . 
chased by patient toil, the affections of the 
mind, as the faculties of the understandi 
improve under exertion, and patriotism flc 
ishes amidst its kindred virtues. Where i 

as for the supply of common wauts, mutual 

i„v. a. —.-.j affections un f ld themsi 



a the 1 



ead. It will perha] 
ir affections 
ut by object 
.f feeling our a 



to the soil in wbJ 

be found, indeed, th: . „ 
originally called forth, but by objects capable, 
or supposed capable -" ' 
and of returning th< 
they are strengthened by exercise — they are ex- 
panded by the powers of imagination, and seize 

have first felt the alternations of joy and sorrow, 
and first tasted the sweets of sympathy and 
regard. If this reasoning be just, the love of 
our country, although modified, and even ex- 
tinguished in individuals by the chances and 
changes of life, may be presumed, in our gen- 

in proportion to their social, and more especi- 



govert 
despotic one: 



s fon 



individual bi 



avunity being maintained with difficulty, and 

ism are more frequently excited. In mountain- 
jus countries it is generally found more active 



__. _e usually d 

leys, and on the banks of their respective 
streams : situations well calculated to call forth 
and to concentrate the social affections amidst 
scenery that acts most powerfully on the sight, 

It may also be remarked, that mountainous 






are often pe 


culiaily calculated to 








ence of history on the 


of the mind. In such countries 




ngth, inferior nations 


ntained their 


independence against 


e powerful a 


ghbours, and valour, 




: its most success:-! 


linst oppress 


on. Such countries 


e fields of ba 


tie, where the tide of 


ras rolled bad 


, and where the ashes 


■st, who have 


died in defence of their 


ration of the 


-arious causes we have 


is doubtless i 


lore general and more 


, where the 


scenery of a country, 




abitants, and 


1 achievement 


of their ancestors are 


n national son 


gs, and united to na- 


sic By this 





of theii 



iplied and strengthened . 
infancy strongly associating with the generous 
affections, resist the influence of time, and of 
new impressions ; they often survive in coun- 
tries far distant, and amidst far different scenes, 
to the latest periods of life, 
with the pleasures of men 

If this reasoning be just, it will explain to us 
why, among the natives of Scotland, even of 
cultivated minds, we so generally find a partial 
tttachment to the land of their birth, and why 



a those of 



ofii;ir 



ongly disc 
ho joined 



xhibited what are, 
harms of original 'ge 
ight into the human 

■i:= hi.-h r , 






balms, the peculiar manners 
> his own name only, but to 

will prevent us from dwell 



ife, ca n dour will prevent us from dwelling 

liously on those faults and failings which 

justice forbids us to conceal ; we will tread 

the laurels that shelter his untimely grave. 



LIFE 



ROBERT BURNS. 



ROBERT BURNS 


was asisw 


11 known, 


son of a 






nd afterwa 




farmer the 




g been Bus 


cessfal, h 






to Jamai 


He had 


pi . u- 






notice .by 




al talents it 






lived; and 


having pub 








at Kilmarnc 


ck, thisdr 








. Jn con 


quence of the enco 


ragement h 


received, 




o Edinbur 


h, and there 


published, 




on, an imp 






of his po 








lion^ne^ 


^enabled 


from thes 












whom he 








devote th 






agriculttu 






ind, aband 




;. 


wn of Du 




he filled 



minatedhis life in July, 1796, in his thirty- 
eighth year. 

The strength and originality of his genius 

rs, and, among 
others, that of Dr Moore, well known for his 
i tews rf Society and Manners on the Continent 
of Europe, for his Zeluco, and various other 
works. To this gentleman our poet addressed 



" Sir, Mauchline, 2d August, 17S7 

" For some months past I have been ram- 



character, may perhaps amuse you in an idle 
moment. I will give you an honest narrative ; 
though I know it will be often * 



-for I a 






afl'air of wisdom, I sometimes think I resemble, 

behold madness and folly, and li 
frequently shaken hands with their intoxk 
friendship. ... After you have pe 



my eyes ; 



■ - 






in thi3 country ; vou have done tne the honour 
to interest yourself very warmly in my behalf ; 



t, Ionlyk 

cionthat he was dotoTWhathe ought not to 

do ; a predicament he has more than once beeu 

assume that character which the pve- coated 
guardians of escutcheous call a Gentlemau. 
When at Edinburgh last winter, I got ac- 
quainted in the Herald's Office; and, l.-.u'riir.- 



'the north of Scotland, 

misfortunes on the world at large ; where, 
after many years' wanderings and sojourning.-. 
be picked up a pretty large quantity of obser- 
vation and experience, to which I am indebted 
for most of my little pretensions to wisdom — I 

manners, and their ways, equal to him ; but 
stubborn, ungainly integrity, and headlong, 
ungovernable irascibility, are disqualifying cir- 
cumstances ; consequently I was born a very 
poor man's son. For the first six or seven 
of my life, my father was a gardener to a 
y gentleman of small estate in the neigh- 
ood of Ayr. Had he continued in that 
station, I must have marched off to be one of 
the little underlings about a farm-house ; but 

his power to keep his children' under his own 



DIAMOND CAEINET LIBRARY 



te with any body. Iw 



something in my 

was' the°n but*! 
schoolmaster so 
excellent Englis] 



child. Though it cc 
scholar; and' by the I 



man who resided in the family, remarka- 
her ignorance, credulity, and supersti- 






'- id the 



poetry ; but had so '. 

rambles, I 'sometimes 
in suspicious places; 

■vet it often takes an 
"shake off these idle 



Addisc 



; The f 



ind though nobody ca 

effort of philosophy t 
terrors. The earlies 



" For though on dreadful whirls w 

I met with these pieces in Mason's 
first books I ev 



■e plea: 



Hannibal gave 



after the recruiting drum and 
wish myself tall enough to be a sum 
the story of Wallace poured a Sei 
juiice into my veins, which will 
there till the flood-gates of life shut 

" Polemical divinity about this 
putting the country half- mad; and 1, 



Wallace. 
dfier^whilt 



of heresy against 


"mSv 


hich has nc 








y vicinity to Ayr w 


is of so 


ne advantag 


My social disposit 


J!,, wh- 


n not checke 



nections with other yonnkers v 
superior advantages, the younglin 



lecent, unnoticmg disregard for 
significant, stupid devils, the 
i peasantry around him, who 
born in the same village. My 
rs never insulted the clouterly 
my plough-boy carcase, the two 
lich were often exposed to all the 
f the seasons. They would give 



Begum scenes have tainted, 
French. Parting with the 
and benefactors, as they oc 
for the East or West ladies 



My father was adva: 
ried ; I was the elde 
he, worn out by earl 
labour. My father 



as often to me a 
called to more 
ler's generous master 

rtune, we fell info the 

y Tale of Twa Dogs. 
I in life when he mar- 
f seven children ; and 
trdships, was unlit for 



We 



plough. 

the plough very we 
the corn. A novel 
viewed these seen 

the recollection of 
"This kind of li 



;ery poorly ; 

rother (Gilbert) who c 



r expeu 



before 




ch period I first 


committed the sin of 


Rr.vr, 






country custom of 


_' 


uga 


man and woman together as part- 






he labours o 




fifteer 


tha 


jtumn my partn 






re a year younger 


than myself. My 




:■ o 


f English deni 




doing 


.w 


justice in that 




know 




Scottish idiom 


-she was a bonnie. 


sweet, 


son 


ie lass. In short, she altogether, 



ippointment, gin-horse prudence, and book- 
vorm philosophy, I hold to be the first of 



medical peopl 
;r expressly s 



;tn=rl.v... 

ind it was her 1 

ittempted giving an 



. .brill like an 
cularly why my pulse 
in when I looked and 



.died vehicle in rhyme. 



by men who had Greek and Latin ; but my gi 



le had no more scholai 



first poetical production cf 01 
place book, -which he seems 



really h 



nature, to see how a ploughman thinks an 

anxiety, grief, with the like care, an 

which, however diversified by the modes an 



ising, when youth is Ion 



This MS. book, to which our poet prefixed 

preparing it, contains several of his earlier 
poems, some as they were printed, and others 



Eut Xe'ilj '= looks are hlithe and sweet. 

And what is best of a', 
Her reputation was complete. 



■LIFE. 
" Thus will 



'f'whfn^ 
n miles far- 



tse : otherwise the affair would have b< 
cticable. For four years we lived co 
fortably here; tut a ditlerence commenci 



I cease from troubling, and where the 

X is during the time that we lived on this 
farm that my little story is most eventful. I 
vas, at the beginning of this period, perhaps 
he most ungainly, awkward boy in the parish 

vaTs of the 'world. What 1 knew of ancient 
tory was gathered from Salmon '* and Guthrie 's 
geographical grammars ; and the ideas I had 

criticism, I got from the Spectator. These, 
with Pope's Works, some plays of Shakspeare, 
""- " md Dickson on Agriculture, the Pantheon, 
's Essay on the Human Understanding, 
house's History of the Bible, Justice's 
sA Gardener's Directory, Bayle's Lec- 
tures, Allan Ramsay's Worl 
tare Doctrine of Original Sin, A Sehci CoUec- 
"-•n of English Songs, and Hervey's }leuilati:-n> , 
,1 formed the whole of my reading. The 



of s 

■-' ''<>: =<- 



;ving my ci 



,e by verse; carefully 



this practice much of my ci 

a brushT I went to i 
,1 My father had an t 





She dresses aye sae clean and neat, 


:z:i 


And then there's something in her gait 

A gaudy dress and gentle air 
Way slightly touch the heart, 

That polishes the dart. 




'Tis this in Nelly pleases me, 
•Tis this enchants my soul; 




For absolutely in my breast . 
She reigns without control. 

Tat lal de ral, fyc. 


utd sweet. 


It must be confessed that these lines give no 
indication of the future genins of Burns ; but 



ceedtng years, 
of Presbyt. 



i wishes. My f 

s subject to strong 

:e of disobedience i 

_.___ke to me, which I 

of the dissipation which 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



. m , comparatively 
ess, and sobriety, and regularity 

meteors of thoughtless whim 
sole lights of my path, yet early 



i afterwards within the li 

great misfortune of my lif. 

I had felt early some st 



ation in the vs 



e walls of h 
mailed on me 
° P F e o3e, b w W 
r the path of little 
The 6rst ' 






who carried it on. Scenes of swaggering riot 

lo me; but I was no enemy to social life. 
Here, though I learnt to fill my glass, and to 
mix without fear in a drunken squabble, yet I 
went on with a high hand with my geometry, 

ing fileltc who lived next door to the school, 
[angent from the sphere of my studies. I, 



vain to think of doing any more 
. The remaining weel I staid. [ 



(alent, and a strength of thought, something 


two nights of my stay in the country, had sleep 


like the rudiments of good sense ; and it will 


been a mortal sin, the image of this modest and 


not seem surprising that I was generally a wel- 


innocent girl had kept me guiltless. 




" I returned home very considerably improv- 




ed. My reading was enlarged with the very 


there was 1 among them. But far beyond all 


important addition of Thomson's and Sben- 


other impulses of my heart, was un p iiuhmil « 




/"■ Hie (In izeiin- ' ■main. My heart 


new phasis: and I engaged several of my 


was completely tinder, and was eternally lighted 








other warfare in this world my fortune was 


tion. I had met with a collection of letters by 


various, sometimes I was received with favour, 


the wits of Queen Anne's reign, and I pored 


and sometimes I was mortified with a repulse. 


over them most devoutly ; I kept copies of any 


At the plough, scythe, or reap hook, 1 feared 




no competitor, and thus I set absolute want at 




defiance; and as I never cared farther for my 


most of my correspondents flattered my vanity. 


labours than while I was in actual exercise, I 


I carried this whim so far, that though I had 




not three farthings worth of business in the 


heart. A country lad seldom carries on a love 


world, yet almost every post brought me as 




many letters as if I had been a broad plodding 




son of day-book and ledger. 




«' My life flowed on much in the same course 




till my twenty-third year. Vive Vamour, et 


much pleasure in being in the secret of half the 


vive la bagatelle, were my sole principles of ac- 


loves of the parish of Tarbolton, as ever did 


tion. The addition of two more authors to my 



My passions, wh 

dTen thT'co 
'II, soothed a 



The Death of Poor Mailie, John Bmley. 
— first, second, and third. 
3 ebullition of that passion 



URNS — LIFE. 



which ended the fc 






•' My twenty-third year was tcrme an impoi 
tant era. Partly through whim, and partly tha 
I wished to set about doing; something; in life, I 
joined a flax-dresser in a neighbouring 
(Irvine) to learn his trade. This was I 

lucky affair. My ; and, to 

the whole, as we were giving 



and bt 



usal to tt 



k fire, 



clouds of misfortune were gathering thick 
round my father's head ; and what was worst 
of all, he was visibly far gone in a consump- 



" From this adventure, I learned something 
of a town life; but the principal thing which 
gave my mind a turn, was a friendship I formed 
with a young fellow, a very noble character, 



teer, on the wild coast of Connaught, siripped rf 
every thing. I cannot quit this poor fellow's 
story, without adding, that he is at this time 



r ery manly virtue. I loved 



knowledge of the world v 



levity of a sailor, which hitherto I had regarded 

after I resumed the^bughtTwrete' the Po°Vs 
Welcome* My reading only increased, while 

one of Fc-dinand Count Fathom, which gave me 
some idea of novels. Rhyme, except some 
religious pieces that are in print, I bad given 

with emulating vigour. YFhen'my father died. 



e Rob the Rhymer's Welcome to his Bastard 






Br qualifica 



a far 

" I entered on this farm with a full resolu- 
tion, Come, go to, J will be wise ! I read farm- 
ing books j I calculated crops ; I attended mar- 
kets J and in short, in spite of the devil, aiu. the 
tcorld, and the flesh, I believe I should have 
been a wise man, but the first year from unfor- 
:unately buying bad seed, the second, from a 
late harvest, we lost half our crops. This 
iverset all my wisdom, and I returned, like the 
log to hit vomit, and the sow that was ^cashed to 



enough ; many of them have been written with 
a pencil, and are now obliterated, or at least 
illegible. A considerable number are however 

It must be premised, that the poet kept the book 
by him for several years — that he wrote upon it 



EXTEMPORE. April, I7S2. 
O why the deuce should I repine, 



I'll go and be a sodger. 



FRAGMENT. Tune—' Donald E 



Tour fine Tom Jones and Grandisons, 
They make your youthful fancies reel, 

They heat your brains, and Ere your veins. 
And then you're prey for Rob jVIossgiel. 

Beware a tongue that's smoothlv hnng ; 

A heart that warmly seeks to feel ; 
That feeling heart but acts a part, 

'Tis rakish art in Rob Mossgiel. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



" I now began to be knowo in the neighbour 
hood as a maker of rhymes. The first of m; 
poetic offspring that saw the light, was a bur 

reverend Calvinists, both of them dra 



>s verj fc 



copy of it 



.._. was the author of it, but 
that I thought it pretty clever. With a certain' 
description of the clergy, as well as laity, it met 
with a roar of applause. Holy Willie '« Prayer 

kirk-session so much, that they held several 
meetings to look over their spiritual artillery, if 
baply any of it might be pointed against profane 
rhymers. Unluckily for me, my wanderings 
led me on another side, within point blank shot 
of tlHr heaviest metal. This is the unfortunate 
story that gave rise to my printed poem. The 
Lament. This was a most melancholy affair, 



m,— To get for Mr Johnsi 

lolly, Molly, my dear honey. 

ic hen, the deer in her den,' 



(...!. 


nel George Crawford, the author o 


Down 


















My 


apron Deary I and 


Amynta, by 


Sir G. 




ie was a wanton 


Wag, was m 


ide on 










1 In 








The 
ream 


-very beaatiful. 


-beautiful — L 


mile's 


He 


ill'i and she till 't—s 


ssez bien. 






strong's Farewell- 


3ne. 




- 


author of the Highl 


and Queen wa 


a Mr 



Polwart on the Green, composed by Captaii 
John Drummond M'Gregor, of Boehaldie. 
Mem. —To inquire if Mr Cockburn was th 



Rationality.* I gave up my part of the farm 
to my brother; in truth it was only nominally 

my power for Jamaica. But, before leaving 

my poems. I weighed my productions as 



that I 



called a 



X fellow 



lOUgh it 

■iver,— or perhaps a victim to that 
inhospitable clime, and gone to the world of 

as I then was, I had pretty nearly as high an 
idea of myself and my works as I have at this 
moment, when the public has decided in their 






d blundei 



a ■ 






mation — where the lights and shades in my 

ili-alVii Hi'' voice of censure, and the novelty of 
West Indian scenes make me forget neglect. I 
threw off six hundred copies, of which I had 
got subscriptions for about three hundred and 
fifty. My vanity was highly gratified by the 
reception I met with from the public ; and be- 
sides 1 pocketed, all expenses deducted, nearly 

ably, as 1 was thinking of indenting myself, 

soon as I was master of nine guineas, the price 
of wafting me to the torrid zone, I took a steer- 
age passage in the first ship that was to sail 
from the Clyde; for 

" Hungry ruin had me in the wind." 

" I had been for some days skulking from 

as some ill-advised people had uncoupled the 



,,™CedV, 



lion. The baneful star that had so long shed 
blasting influence in my zenith, for once 
de a revolution to the nadir; and a kind 
mdence placed me under the patronage of 
of the noblest of men, the Earl of Glen. 



BURNS LIFE. 

, Grand Dwu, si jamais je 
it Edinburgh I 



id; I mingled a 
t all of then 



life while in A\rshire ;~and having b 
plied to by Mrs Dunlop for some men 

letter, from which the following narr 



rch of new adventures, 
hither he went. My 
agardf 



of hk^ed paremTVnTl^econecThei^g ta 

in Kincardineshire; that they scarcely knew 
how to employ it when it arrived. " From 
Edinburgh William Burnes passed westward in- 
to the county of Ayr, where he engaged himself 
as a gardener to •••- '- 

for that of Cm 
being desirous ( 

Campbell, phy; 



laird of Fairley, 
irs ; then changing his service 
ford of Doonside. At length, 

seven acres of' land from Dr 
ician in Ayr, with the view of 
rseryman "and public gardener ; 



The 



subject 



Ferguson, who purchased th< 
holm, in the immediate nei 

ana this was his situation wl 
born. Though in the service 
he lived in his own house, h 
her family and little dairy, 



)f Mr Ferguson, 
rhich consisted, 



at Allowav Miln', about a nub"- ..i-'- 

by a person of the name of Campbell ; bu: this 



onths app 
' the workhouse at Ayr, Willi 

en^agedJohn Murdoch in his : 



i tu read English tolera- 
e a little. He taught us, 



folding of his genius and character ; as he soon 
became remarkable for the fluency and correct- 
ness of his expression, and read the few books 
that came in his way with much pleasure and 

when he could get a book. Murdoch, whose 

lent him The Life of Hannibal, which was the 
first book he read (the school books excepted) 



id for the press, with st 



ns, Life of WaUacf, w 



and one slight alteration suggested by Gilbert of his letters 



t This house is on the right hand side of the ; "the blacksmith who shod our horses. " 
of a the r0 road 7 fro°in Glasgow to Port-Patrick. | himself greatly in the service of Mr Ferguson, 



consequence of this, with a view of pron 
his interest, Mr Ferguson leased him a : 
of which we have the following account. 
•' The farm was upwards of seventy a 
(between eighty and ninety, English statute 

pounds annually for the first six years, and af- 
terwards forty-five pounds. Mv father en J — 
voured to sell his leasehold property, for 
purpose of stocking this farm, but at that time 
was unable, ami Mr l-Vruuson lent him ahun- 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

'Nothing," continues Gilbert 



'- ' -ran to read "l he play 






hole party was d 
, the play (I have 
of it) had her ha 



saw any body but the members c 
family. There were no boys of om 

greatest part of the land in the vicil 



My father w 
on all subjee 



would burn it. M\ lather w 
him for this unuTateful retu 
kindness; but Murdoch int 
that he liked to see so much se 
left The School far Love, a cc 
I think, from the French), it 


t if it was left he 
is going to chide 

rfercd, declaring 

medj (Translated' 
its place."! 


* Letter of Gilbert Burns 
The name of this farm is M 

f It is to be remembered t 

incident under eight, at the t 


to Mrs Dunlop. 
unt Oliphant, in 


me^happen^ch 



urs of the farm, to lead the 
uch subjects as might tend to 



y of the Bible, then lat 
iry ; for no book was 



irchase The Ready Reckoner, 

re Guide, and a book to teach 

Luckily, in place of The 



dels by some of the first- writ 

age. 

" My brother was about thirt 






d threi 



of the judgment, such absurd representations 
are calculated rather to produce disgust or 
laughter, than tears. The scene to vi ' ' 
Gilbert Burns alludes, opens thus : 

Titus Andronicus, Act II. Scene 5. 

Enter Demetrius and Chiron, with La 
ravished, her hands cut ojf, and her tc 

Why is this silly play still printed as Shak- 



might have an 
nity of remedying this defect. About 
e a bookish acquaintance of my father's 
d us a reading of two volumes of Ricb- 
s Pamela, which was the first novel we 
id the only part of Richardson 's works 
ther was acquainted with till towards 



o he r ( 



ained u 



Till 
ited with 



itish mind f for the French c 



BURNS — LIFE. 



Ferdinand Count Fathom, and 
of Peregrine Pickle excepted), 
with Robertson, and almost all 



I'll to my Latin again.' 
i see Mr Murdoch was a p: 



Mr Hamilton of Bourtree- 
eated of the reign of James 
infortunate son, Charles, 
who was the author ; all 

About this time 

tim e einDumfri a es. camTto ... 

of Dr Dalrymple, the parish 

' ' m that attention to which he thought 

n blasphemy. He found it proper 

to give up 1 ' 

don, where 

try, the first that we \ French. He has been a considerable time 

ll ' n ?- S :. tpmi and in I "The father vTd? PaUrson^no^phvl^an 
ne for at Ayr, was, I believe, a native of Aberdeen- 



or exposed on staUs in the streets. 

" The summer after we had been at Dalrvm- 
ple school, my father sent Robert to Ayr, tc 
revise his Enilish grammar, with his formel 
teacher. He "had been there only one week, 



harve 


t. When th 


ehar 


■ St H 


ove 


. lie v 


hack 


o school, wh 






e,l t 


.0 wet 


andtl 




the 








u,r 


ion, excepting on 
ifterwards, that I 


e^aUen 


t j 


t:;;; 




of Kirk- Os* 


a'. J, 






■eJ wit 


broth 




•r'sj 














iveeks th 


■> h 




Murd 








i learn 


Frenc 










herec 




roth. 




ul 


en he 


turne. 


, brought "w 


h hi 


maFre 










the Adl:„<; 




: l\a', 




i the original 




a little 


■whi 


e, by 




nee of these 










know! 


edge of the 








, ; -i.r ■ 


Tat* 


tanduyFre 


ncha 


ort of 


r<1 


se. T 


throu. 


h the mediun 


1 of Murdoch 


'; ru 


•lir'dl' 



were at that time gabbling French, and the 
notice of some families, particularly that of Dr 
Malcolm, where a knowledge of French was a 



acquired a considerable knowledge of the Latin 
lansuage by his own industry, without ever 
having learned it at school, advised Robert to 
make the same attempt, promising him every 
assistance in his power. Agreeably to this 
advice, he purchased The Rudiments of the 
Latin Tongue, but finding this study dry and 
uninteresting. tid aside. He 

frequently returned to his Rvdiments on any 
little chagrin or disappointment, particular!;. 

dominated more than a day or two at a time, 



r ellow native of the nonh of Scotland, and a cer- 
iuring Mr Paterae.™'* life. After his'aeath, his 



intimacy with our family, by frequently 
:ing my father and mother to h'er house oil 



Spectator, Pope's Translation of Homer, and 
several other books that were "of use to us. 
Mount Oliphant, the farm my father possessed 
in the parish of Ayr, is almost the very poorest 



father thirty years ago. My father, in conse, 

which were increased by the loss of several o'f 
his cattle by accidents and disease To the 

lard labour and the n!o* rigid°econoniy° We 



lived verj 


sparingly. F 


r\rwa' 


years but- 








ouse, while 




mbers of ihe't 








the utmost of 








ond it, in the 




the farm. 


My brothe 


r, at the age of 




assisted in 




the crop of c 


arn, and 


at fifteen 


was the" 




er on th 




we haa no hired servai 


t, male 


or female. 


The angu 




felt at 


our tender 




er these straits 


and dime 






t. To th.nk of 


our fath 


er growing 


" 


was now above 


fifty,) b 





DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



s period of. 

' life afler- 



vhere he was for 



;■'-'■- 


h of Tarbo 


•on," 


if Mr 


, then a 




ive"' '"I Aj 






(1797) amercbani 


:': I 




He 






Whi 




"", a 


.1 po- 


essed it only se»« 




. No wri 








"th- t 


onditions o 


the 




a misunderstanding 


took 


place respe 


tiug 


bem : 


the subjects in dis- 










deci_ 








r's affairs in ruin. 


Hel 


ved to kn 


w of 














quence of it. He 




on the 13th 


ofF 




, 1784. 




The seven 






ived in Tarbolton 


piri- 


v-founh o 


% frc 




seventeenth to the 












ed by mu 


:n "I 


terary 




duri 


g this time 


the 


" 1,! - ;i 


ion was laid of or. 



quence in life. His love, therefore, rarely 
settled on persons of this description. When 

his good pleasure, to whom he should "pay his 
particular attention, she was instantly invested 
with a sufficient stock of charms, out of the 



ections: buTas^Yoric 
>ward Madame de L- 



him, so Robert was ft 



s frequently 
ich formed 



ached his 23d year), 



of being master of for a great while. He be- 
gan, therefore, to think of trying some other 
line of life. He and I had for several years 
taken land of my father for the purpose of 

vient to the flax raising. He accordingly 
wrought at the business of a flax-dresser in 



living than he had been used to, whose society 
prepared him for overleaping the bounds of 

l,in his 24th year), and soon after his father's 
death, he was furnished with the subject of his 
epistle to John Rankin. During this period 

first introduction to the life ofa'boon companion. 
Yet, notwilhstandiug these circumstances, and 
the praise he has bestowed on Scotch drink 



about to g 


.... 


buring'tbew 


hole of the ti 






farm of Lochle 


with my fath 


be allowed 


"i. 














part of w 










red 


in the family w 


as regularly a 






When my fath 


r's affairs dre 






Robert and I t 


ook the farm 


■;-- 




isting of 118 a 






r a 


num (the farm 


on which I li 



asylum for the family in case of the 
was stocked by the property and 
savings of the whole family, and fl 



family 


was alio 


wed ordinary 


wages for th 


abourh 


e perform 




ti. .Vly brother' 


















family c 




sted, which 






as duri 






Lochlea 


his exp 




n any one year 




his ,U 




As I was in- 


rusted with the k 


eepingofthe 






p.^-ible 


hat there can be "any fallacy 






in my brothe 


r's favour. His 


•'■- 


ace and frugality were 


even' thing tha 


could be 


wished. 






"Th 


farm of 


Mossgiel lie_ 




mostly o 






The first four 


■ears-th 




ere on the 




ro.tv, 






ery late. Our 


crops in 












iineourutm 






, we fou 






up our 1 


argain, with the loss of a considerable 


part of 


our orLj 


inal stock. 


It was during 



marry, these four years that Robert formed h 



a family in his poor unsettled 
oxious to shield his partner by 



to push his Jo/tune ; and fat she should rei 
with her father till it might please Provid 
to put the means of supporting a family it 



band in Jamaica appeared to him and his wife 
little better than none, and an effectual bar t( 

their daughter might have. They therefon 

which respected the marriage should be can 
celled, and thus the marriage rendered void, 
In her melancholy state she felt the deepes 
remorse at having brought such heavy afflictioi 
on parents that loved her so tenderly, and sub- 
mined to their entreaties. Their wish wai 
mentioned to Robert. He felt the deepes 
anguish of mind. He offered to stay at honi, 

manner thai I ,ul'd provide to 

them ; that being the only means in his power 
Even this offer they did not approve of; fo 

still, in the" eyes of her partial parents, mieht 
look to a better connexion than that with 
my friendless and unhappy brother, at that 

trading nature : and the impression of sorrow 
was not effaced, till by a regular marriage they 
were indissolubly united. In the state of mine 

leave the country as soon as possible, and agreet 
with Dr Douglas to go out to Jamaica as at 



t a simple narrative of the leading circum- 
nces in my brother's early life. The re- 
ining part he spent in Edinburgh or Dum- 

you as to me. His genius having procurec 
o your patronage r~ J *- 



d friendship, 



hich, I belid 



i you 






he had involve 


his future wife. The 


tainlyof-avery 

ve.tVmucTt 


eive, from the foregoing 
be children of William 
o their father, who was 
ommon talents ; thoush 


vnid P imagiu h a a ti 


he possessed any portion 
n for which the subject 



brought on hii 
like. On this 

follow i.,- mm 



ut Ins going to a dancing-: 

will, of which he was inc 

■ truth was, that he, abov 

?e the dangerous impetuo 



i . e" of ending him to 

Ayr and Kirk-Oswald schools ; and he was 
greatly delighted with his warmth of heart, 

deed that dislike of dancing-schools which 

Robert's first month of attendance, that he 
- ;d all the rest of the family that were fit 



vessel in which Dr Douglas was to procure a 


fork, to accompany him during the second 




month. Robert excelled in dancing, and was 


some time, Mr Hamilton advised him to publish 


for some time distractedly fond of it. " 




In the original letter to Dr Moore, our poet 


13 of getting a little money to provide 




the noble Keiths of Marischal, and as having 


Agreeably to this advice, subscription bills were 


had the honour of sharing their fate. " " I-do 










goins on at the same time for his voyage. The 
reception, however, which his poems met with 
in the world, and the friends they procured 







permanemby amnion for life!' 

"Thus, Madam, have I endeavoured to give 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



law, where the right is always with the la 
strongest. But those who dare welcome ruin ex 
and shake hands with infamy, for what they w 



Spak»peare, of Brutus 
threw my father en -.In 



ud Cassius, honourable T 

world at large." 

•en omitted in printing 

if Gilbert Burns ; and 



his an C e s 1 tors.-i a befieve' 1 the Earl rfMaris'c'ha! 
forfeited his title and estate in 1715, before my 



rish-certihcates in 1 
e, stating that the 
i late wicked re 



..o'kiil-w William Burnes soon after hear 
in the county of Ayr, it may be mentioned 
i report did prevail, that he had taker: th 



North, settling in the low country of Scot 

been, in the familiar phrase of the country, 
" Out in the forty-five," (1745,) especially 
when they had any stateliness or reserve «h«.. 



It may easily be conceived, tnat ou 
sherish the belief of his father's 

Charles Edward. The generous" 



tial a manner. The principal acquaintance „„ 
had in Ayr, while boys, were four sons of Mr 
Andrew M'Culloch, a distant relation of my 



le tutors. The 
>ers, the third a 

only striving c 
se in Glasgow, 



veregrey. He was of a re 




nd as is usual among the 






peculative theology. 


'here is in Gilbert's han 


s a little manual of 


■lisnous belief, in the 


brm of a dialogue 


etween a father and his s 




or the use of his children 


in which the bene- 


olence of his heart seems 


to have led him to 


often the rigid Calvin 


sm of the Scottish 


hurch, into something 


approaching to Ar- 



.etice of calling his family together to join in 
lyer. It is known that the following ex- 

site picture in the Cotter's balm-Hay iXi^d, 



"round the ingle, fori 
ig U Aa 1 lBfbl'e, W o I nce P h a i( 



His lyart ha! 
Those strains 



And " Let us worship God 



saring thin and bare ; 
nee did sweet in Zio 

ith judicious care ; 



Or plaintive Martyrs] -worthy of the l 
Or noble Elgin f beets the heavenly fls 



The priest-like father reads the sacred page, % 
How Abramyaa Ihefriend of God oh nigh; 

Or, Moses bade eternal warfare wage 
With Amalek's ungracious progeny ; 

Or how the royal bard did groaning lie, 
Beneath the stroke of Heaven's avenging 

Or, Job's pathetic plaint, and -wailing cry ; 

Hamilton, during the American war. I believe 

Knew the present Dr Paterson of Ayr, and a 
younger brother of his now in Jamaica, who 

forgot to mention &r Charles of Ayr, who was 

=.. c . c all these boys went any of the others, which did not, however, con- 
Then there were two sons tinue in after life. " 

or ur ruaicoim, wnom I have mentioned in my j- Names of tunes in Scottish psalmody. 

letter to Mrs Dunlop. The eldest, a very The tunes mentioned in this poem are the three 

-worthy young man, went to the East Indies, which were used by William Burnes, who had 

where he had a commission in the army ; he is no greater variety. 

the person, whose heart my brother says the f The course of family devotion among the 

other, by the interest of Lady Wallace, got an portion of scripture," and lastly to kneel down 
ensigncy in a regiment raised by the duke of in prayer. 



BCTRXS.— LIFE. 



Had not on earth wl 
How his lirst followers and servants sped ; 
The precepts sage they wrote to many a 

How he who lone in Palmos banished, 

And heard great Babylon's doom pronounced 

Then kneeling down to Heaven's eternalKing, 
The saint, the/.i(A«-,and the husband prays; 
Hope sp,u.: i.;. bant win-. 



Together hymning their Creator's praise, 

In jU.j'u society, yet still more dear; 



Then homeward all take off their seve 

The youngling cottagers retire ton 
The parent pair their secret homage c 

And oiler up to Heaven the warm 
That he who stills the raven 's clam 'r 

And decks the lily fair in flowery 
Would in the way his n,»luio see, l 

For them and for iheir httie onr- p 



a family so interesting as that which in. 
ed the cottage of William Burnes, and 
mlarly of the father of the family, thi 



Joseph Cooper Walker, Esq. of Dublin, author 
of the Historical Memoir of ihe Italian Tragedy, 
lately published, thus expresses himself: 

SIR, 

" I was latelv favoured with a letter from our 
worthy friend, the Rev. Win. Adair, in which 

ever particulars I could recollect concerning 
Robert Boras, the Ayrshire poet. My business 

my attention is consequently so much divided! 
early part of the life of that extraordinary genius 



"Willi 
a gardene 






nthes 



before I knew him, and 
had been in the service of Mr Crawford of 
Uoonside. He was afterwards employed as a 
gardener and overseer by Provost Ferguson of 
Doonholm.inthe parish' of Alloway, which is 
now uuited with that of Ayr. In this parish, 



the town of Ayr, and half a mile from the 
bridge of Doon, William Burnes took a piece 
of land consisting of about seven acres, part of 

Upon "this little farm 'was erected an humble 
dwelling, of which William Burnes was the 
architect. It was, with the exception of a little 
straw, literally a tabernacle of clay. In this 
mean cottage, of which I myself was at times 
an inhabitant, I really believe there dwelt a 
larger portion of content than in any palace in 
Europe. _ The Cotter s Saturday Night will 



voufd °come r 'and speak to him'at ascertain inn, 
ind bring my writing book with me. This 

imined my writing, he was pleased with it— 
(you will readily allow he was not difficult), 
nd told me that he had received very satisfao 
»rj information of Mr Tennant, the master of 
he English school, concerning my improve- 
ment in English, and in his method of leadi- 
ng. In the month of May following, I was 
ngaged bv Mr Burnes, and four of his neigh- 
our, tol-acb, and according le-an to teach 



b" ...rt, had been grounded a little'in English 
before they were put under my care. They 

tolerable prugre-, in writ..)-. In reading, di- 
viding words into syllables by rule, spelling 

and Gflbert were g ;ra be upper end of 

the class, even when ranged with boys by far 



IBrir 



The 



= luc Spelling Book, the New 
nt, the Bible. Mason's Collection of 
d Verse, and Fisher's English Gram- 
hey committed to memory the hymns, 
r poems of that collection, with un- 
facility. This facility was partly 
the method pursued by their father and 
me in instructing them, which -was, to make 

be easier done, and at an earlier period, than is 
generally thought. As soon as they were 
-apable of it, I taught them to turn verse into 

! supply allX ''I ?,; Ton know, 

are the means of knowing that the pupil under- 
stands his author. These are excellent helps to 
' irrangement of words in sentences, as well 
a variety of expression. 
Gilbert always appeared to tne to possess a 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



all the rest of the school. Robert 
ticular, was remarkably dull, and b 
■table. It was long before I cou 
o distinguish one tune from anothe 
juntenance was generally grave, ai 



(Mount Oliphant) of his own improving, while 
id the service of Provost Ferguson. This farm 

the boys could not attend regularly ; and some 

tTconduct it : . s Md°a half? 

••Id the year 1772, I was appointed (being 
one of five candidates who were examined) to 
teach the English school at Ayr ; and in 1773, 



I should like to teach him something of Frencl 



" -Vow there was 
: bs, &c. When 



the erotto of Calypso, and, armed with a sickle, 
to seek glory by .L'r.alizing himself in the field; 

aoout fifteen, I was told that he performed the 



d of 



ras I deprived of my very apt pupil 
iquemly agreeable companion, at th 
iree weeks, one of which was spen 
sly in the study of English, and the othe 

se sight of him ; but was a frequen 
"-'father's hun 



myself, that good William Burnes might enjoy 

shifted to some~other hand. The father and 
the son sat down with us, whea we enjoyed a 
conversation, wherein solid reasoning, sensible 

were so nicely blended as to render it palatable- 
to all parties. Robert had a hundred questions 
to ask me about the French, &c. ; and tha 
father, who had always rational information in 
view, had still some question to propose to my 

philosophy, or some such interesting subject. 
Mr, Burnes too was of the party as much as 

'But still the house affairs would draw her 



Devour up their discour: 



can by no means wonder that she highly es- 
teemed him; for I myself have always consi- 
dered William Burnes as by far the best of the 
human race that ever I had the pleasure of be- 

wilh Robert in the last line of his epitapa 
(borrowed from Goldsmith ), 



h. they themselves are averse. He ti 



skirt of the c 



I think I never saw him angry but 
: the one time it was with the foreman of 
nd, for not reaping the field as Ik was 
d ; aud the other time, it was with an 
iing smutty innuendoes and double 



Were every fc 
a seasonable check ii 
to the advantage of the 



iihe.-l ol 



jliday, i 



often v 



two per; 



utellign. 



BURNS — LIFE. 



People to ken booing and booing in the p 
..fa great man. He alway, treated.-. 

" u ^:™? ™p. e " :.. bu A h !.?!r 



: shall only add, that he carefully practised 
:very known duty, and avoided every thing 



void of office towards God "and towards men. 
O for a world of men of such dispositions ! We 
should then have no wars. I have often wish- 
ed, for the good of mankind, that it were as 

to extol what are called heroic actions: then 
would the mausoleum of the friend of my youth 

see in Westminster Abbey. 

"Although I cannot do justice to the char- 
acter of this worthy man, yet you will perceive, 

had the principal hand in the education of our 
poet. He spoke the English language with 
more propriety (both with respect to diction 

with no greater advantages. This had a very 
good effect on the boys, who began to talk, 

wards made any great figure as literary cha- 

to Colonel Fanarton'sregi 

in the East Indies. He is a man of genius and 

learning ; yet affable, and free from pedantry. 



Loehlea, in the parish of Tart 



at a time when he was ignorant of the 
stence of the preceding narrative of his 

tten without his having any knowledge that 
ter of his pupils had been employed on the 
le subject. The three relations serve, there- 

e each other. Though the information they 
ivey might have been presented within a 
.rter compass, by reducing the whole into 



Under the humble roof of his parents, 
appears indeed that our poet had great adva 
tages ; but his opportunities of information 



and of inferior, 
testify at once the extraordinary force an 
activity of his mind. In his frame of body h 
rose nearly to five feet ten inches, and assume 



the only man that, a 



merely, Rober 
md of a sumi 
acknowledge i 



guidance passed through the sward, or tl 
grass fell under the sweep of his scythe, I 
was humming the songs of his country, mush 



lis view. 


Ha 


ppily the Sund 


yis 


eta a 












om tl 




urs. On 




day, therefore 


, Bu 




uld 


jlge in a f 
















is his delight to 




er ai 




he banks 


of the Ayr, whose 












o listen to th 




g of 






the 


close of the s 








still grea 


er was hi 








informs 




in walking on 




-i.-iU 


red 






n a cloudy w 




*£'■ 


nd 


ring the s 












e elevated 




lpJdeiigl^i 




nd'so 






ng 










de along 




summit, while 


the 




mg 



" Rapt in 



the wings of the wind !" If other proofs were 
wanting of the character of His genius, this 
might determine it. The heart ot the poet is 
peculiarly awake to every impression of beauty 

The gaiety of many of Burns 's writing, and 
the lively, and even cheerful colouring with 

may lead some persons to suppose, that the 

end of his days, was not an original part of his 



the sensibihtj 



dresser, and is dated 

Irvine, Dec. 27, [ 
"Honoured Sir, 
" I have purposely delayed writing, i 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



on lhat £ 

health :'- 



ill as for 



[ -Lull nil vou at meeting. My j tion : 
eep is a little sounder, and, on figur 
though I 'mend by very slow degrees. The 'oflif 



istinction. His despair of making a 
in the world, shows how ardently he 
1 for honourable fame ; and his contempt 



r loo 
xiety or p 



, lull 



liappy . 



e frai 



my spirits are a little lightened, I glimmer a ger, nor sorrow, and where happiness shall be 
indeed my only pleasurable employment, is I Such a disposition is far from being at 



the thought 
I shall bid a 

life : for 1 £ 



and confined at home, 






" It is for this reason I am more pl< 
withthel5.il, llilh, and 1 Ti.li verses of th._ 

as many verses in the'wbole Bible, and would m. ■m as a "*!:,:■: -'r'lr.-,-. -, Ii:im»! beard that a 

maki'ng"a 'figure in it. I am not formed for the I end of the year 1780, our poet, his brother, 
hustle of the busy, nor the flutter of the gav. I I and five other young peasant, of the neighbour- 
shall never again be capable of entering into i hood, formed themselves into a society of this 
such scenes. Indeed I am altogether uncon- sort, the declared objects of which were to 
earned at the thr ughts of this life. I foresee , re] a: , ,1,, .,„,, -he, after toil, to promote sociality 
that poverty and obscurity probably await me, and friendship, and to improve the mind. The 
and I am in some measure" prepared, and daily [ laws and regulation, were furnished by Burns. 

and paper to "return you mv grateful tnanks'for i the day 'were over, once a week, in a small 

the lessons of virtue and piety vou have given ! public-house in ibe village; where each should 

me, which were too much" neglected at the [ offer his opinion on a given question or subject, 



" ROBERT BURNS.' 



be humble potation that 
ultivate friendship with 

ishing to preserve some 

e-dii.L',, they purchased 






"IDtorv ■ f i'ic Ri:-', Proceeding*, and Rezu- 



BURKS. -LIFE. 

ing; and have 



a the 



lion of life. 



end of human society is to 

view of every man in every 
at as experience has taught 
les as inform the head and 

exhaust the faculties of the mind, it has 

id by some employment or another, that 



at the s 



'radded tc 



| the labour of their bod, 

news of the' body, are S( 
•Intel, necessary to have 



have plunged into al 
dissipation; and in 
grand design of huo: 
with extravagance a 
guilt and wretchedne 



s followin; lads i 



>wer to marry either < 



them shall he choo=e ?' Finding ourselves very 

way and manner proposed, and shortly thereaf- 
ter we chose Robert Ritchie for another mem- 
ber. In May, 17S1, we brought in David Sil- 

About the beginning of the year 17S2, we ad- 



f- Rules and Re^ulaiior, 



1. The club shall meet i 
fourth Monday night, when 






2d. When the club is met, the presidec 
he failing, some one of the members, I 
come, shall take his seat ; then the other 

one side of the question, on the pres' ' 



id thosi 



if then: 



re for 



The club met and seated, the president 

president) then the two members nearest the 
first, and according as the lot shall determine, 

ae second member of "the side that spoke'first ; 

;cond, and so on to the end of the company ; 
ut if there be fewer members on the one side 
nan on the other, when all the members of the 

ny of them, as they please among themselves,' 

, ,, r ,.,....._.,. r . , ■ . . . 

, when bo'h sides have spoken, the 

4ch. The club shall then proceed to the 
hoice of a question for the subject of next 
ight's meeting. The president shall first pro- 



lother, and whoever o'i 

■esident°the first vote, 
jon a par, but none 
meral toast to mistres 
lall dismiss. 
6th. There shall be n 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



ikilfully the means o 
ess; and if grandeu 



lachelor's Club of Tarboltoo 



and the 



-.mmmt.-J totheifames. Happily the preamble 



s of th 


e cli 


b atMauc 






tli.- 


of the c 


ub at 1 


ne lau 








or non 




dance had 


at Tarb 




rging their sea 


QCJ pot 










hould 


be se 


apart to 


the pu 



number of other works, chiefly of the same 
nature, and among these the Lounger. The 
society of Mauchline still subsists, and was in 



originally all young men from the c 



other person but a 
pain of being exc 

or affairs of the cl 



t of the members are de- 
ssible, to avoid, and havf 
with him as a friend ol 

;r shall attend at the meet- 
an give a proper excuse 
nd it is desired that ever} 
end will send his excusf 

imoned to the club-night, 



society of Alauchlii 
kind best adapted 



:, it may be doubted, whe- 
i they purchased were of a 
3 promote the interest and 

Lounger^ though works of 
i mem, may oe said, on a general view of 

knowledge, than to refine the taste of those 
i read them ; and to this last object their 
ality itself, which is however always per- 
y pure, may be considered as subordinate. 

y are, indeed, retined to a high degree of 






•s of ;1 



t lilt 






umry il 



ich they were produced. But deli 

:e, though the source of many pleasures, is 

- •-; and to render 

lesirable, the possessor should perhaps in 

jur, unless indeed we should include under 



>ofth 



Delica 



ited, tl 



rilluv: 



-,,.■11', a 



any other gratifications. To n 
a the possession of opulence ana 

ies which, without employment, j 

that morbid sensibility, or, I 
jn of Mr Hume, that delics 



after he emerged from the c. 



when, if he fail 

he shall be excli 

9th. Theclui 



ed, if the majority of the club think 
No person shall be admitted a mem- 



the female sex. No haughty, self-conceited 

the rest of the club, and especially no mean- 
spirited, worldly mortal, whose only will is to 



for this society, is a cheerful honest-hearted 
lad, who, if he has a friend that is true, and a 
mistress that is kind, and as much wealth as 
genteelly to make both ends meet—is just a» 
happy as this world can make him. 






buuxs. 

te equalled the 



a doubtful blessii 



it render the cultivator of the "soil unhappy in 
his situation, it presents no means by -which 
that situation may be improved. Taste and 

their votaries distinction while living, and 
which still more frequently obtain for them 

sued with advantage b\ the peasant in the short 
intervals of leisure which his occupations allow. 
Those who raise themselves from the condi- 
tion of daily labour, are usually men who excel 



ha'c;t= 


of ind 




and sob 


riety to an 








f them 


re common 1 






owledg 




The pet 






worth 








of Cocker, 










the humblest walks 


of i.lV 






ist the 


peasant mor 


in tl 


pnrsu 




f S i 


ndence, 




tlldy o 


Horn. 






, though h 




comp 


ehend. 










those 






irds. 






Th 










withou 


some 




of 


doubt a 


id hesitation 


. Th 



imple discussion. It may b 



and that this will be most effectually done by 


as it flows. It may 


also be observ 






on of knowledg 


the imagination. The greater part of the sacred 








improvement of the f 


acuity "employee 


under this description. It may be farther ob- 


it. Though some a 




the eloquence of the 




served, that every human being is the proper 




rfreegovermne 


judge of his own happiness, and, within the 


ductive of so much i 


rfluence to a fe 


path of innocence, ought to be permitted to 


eel in it. yet little re 


»ard has been i 


pursue it. Since it is the taste of the Scuiii-h 


humbler exercise of 


peech in privat 


peasantry to give a preference to works i of taste 


lion, an art that is 





and of fancy. * It may be presumed they find 
a superior gratification in the perusal of such 
works ; and it may be added, that it is of more 



happy in th 
led with 

e-doubtSfoft 



Though the records of the society at Tarbol- 



* In several lists of book-societies amonj tl 
Dter classes in Scotland which the Edit 

Bat part. These societies are by no mea 
neraf, and it is not supposed that they a 



LIFE. 29 

iafely affirm, that our poet was a distinguished 



of h 



mind. Froi 



these societies, the number should be such, 



rtening the acquisition of knowledge, and 



egulation than the rules of p 



e liable to perpe- 
rorously enforced, 
ed in the club at 



ities, and whicl 
rf this kind, whi 



;ind ought perhaps to be founded. 

The l,r-t requisite of every kind of elocution, 
l distinct utterance, is the offspring of much 
ime, and of long practice. Children are always 

- r 
people, though in a less degree. What is 



before the age of twei 
speech, because they 

quence of which is, ; 



require much use of 
re duties in detail. Be- 
s being generally se 



Then 



rely; the t 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 






s oftei 



e the difficulty 

when e tabh 1 ill 1 r 

spontaneously, but which, in truth, are the 

analyzed, exhibit the phenomena of most cu- 



ntervalsoflabo 



.sed, and error propag 
generations. And to m 
.ted letters or general a, 



Whether, in the humble 
he was a member, Burns ac( 
information, may perhaps 



lordinary. + For 



him to pour forth his 
e not unworthy of his 
of all his endowments, 
n Edinburgh, tin- 



degree of which he was capable, so as to have 
fortified his principles of virtue by the purifica- 



cluded other associatii 
well as deb^ed. " S " 



In one of these we 



to a po 


>m, o 


whic 


i an 'account 


will be 


found 


in II,.- 


t'" 


n f g h!: 


inspiratTonf 


he incl 


sed it 






TO MISS 












Mossgiel, 18tkX<w. 


1786. 


<«M 












"Poe 








so much the 




n of 














e lilcv-ocJc 


n.-rcll-. 


allows 


! h'an. 


larg, 


r'ton 


ude in the law 
of judgment 


::;[;;,; 


priety, 


I men 
























in the 


"vi'u 


v.hh. 


m, which he 
Whether i 


b has ^ 




merit 


ny w 




thy of the th 


■„,.'■',' 1 















paratiou than might lie supposed, for the dis- 






multiplied the tablets of learning and science, 




and necessity produced the habit of studying as 


preparedfor these meetings ; and among others, 


it were in common. Poets were found reciting 






in p. 27. in which, as might be expecied, he 




takes the imprudent side of the question. The 


speculations. The taste of the hearers, the 


following may serve as a farther specimen of 


ingenuity of the scholars, were employed in 




ton :— " Whether do we derive more happiness 




from love or friendship '—Whether between 


ation, and the it-revocable words were not given 


friends, who have no reason to doubt each 




other'- friendship, there should be any re- 




serve ? -Whether is the savage man, or the 


and improved. Death alone put the last seal 




on the labours of genius. Hence, perhaps, 


happy situation '—Whether is a young man of 


inav be in part explained the extraordinary art 


the lower ranks of life likeliest to be happy, who 


and skill with which the monuments of Gre- 




urethat remain to us, appear to have 


informed, or he who has just the education and 



e jou 






muse, on the banks of thi 
re iu aU the gaiety of th< 

estern hills: not a breatk 
1 opening blossom, or th< 
verdant spreading leaf. It was a golden mo- 
ment for a poet;c"lieart. I listened to the fea. 
thered warblers, pouring their harmony on even, 
hand, with a congenial kindred regard, anc 
frequently turned out of my path, lest I shoulc 
disturb their little son's, or frighten them tc 
another station. Surely, said I to myself, he 
must be a wretch indeed, who, regardless of 
your harmonious endeavour to please him, can 

recesses, and to rob you of all the property 
helpless^nestlings.' " Even the hoary hawthorn- 
its welfare, and wished it preserved from the 
rudely-browsing cattle, or the withering eastern 

'■aspect, I spied one 



■s of Xati 



ieye, 



r bards ei 



an object. 

" What an hour of inspiration for a poet ! I 
would have raised plain, dull, historic prosi 
into metaphor and measure. 

"Tae inclosed song was the work of my re 
turn home ; and perhaps it but poorly answer: 
what might be expected from such a scene. 

"Madam. 
" Your most obedient, and very 
"humble servant. 
'ROBERT BURNS." 

•Twas even—the dewy fields were green, 

On every blade the pearls hang ;* 
The Zephyr wanton'd round the bean, 

And bore its fragrant sweets alang ; 
In every glen the mavis sang, 

All nature listening seemed the while, 
Except where green- wood echoes rang, 

Amang the braes o' Ballochmyle. 

With careless step I onward strayed, 



uight in autumn mild ; 



But woman, nature's darling child ! 

Tiiere all her charms she does comoile : 
Even there her other works are foil'd 

By the bonny lass o' Ballochmyle. 

had she been a country maid, 

And I the happy country swain, 
Though sheltered in the lowest shed 



-ina every nay uavejojs at vine, 
With the bonny lass o' Balloeh 



: the lad, made no reply to h 

this appears to ha\e wounded 1 

_ is not, however, difficult to fini 

for her silence. Burns was at tha 



self as the proper judge, tfermi 
vent her from perceiving that 



imortality on the banks of the Ayr. It 
be conceived, also, that supposing the 

Seult to express 'its acknowledgments. 
— ,'ervent imagination of the rustic bard pos- 
sessed more of tenderness than of respect. In- 
stead of raising himself to "the condition of the 
object of his admiration, he presumed to reduce 
her to his own, and to strain this high-born 



deed of every country. And it i< 
mitted to this sort of profanation wi 

ry consequence of their own 



It may be easily presumed, that the beautiful 
ivmph of Ballochmyle, whoever she may have 
leen, did not reject with scorn the adorations 
)f our poet, though she received them with 

The sensibility of our bard's temper, and 
:he force of his imagination, exposed .him in a 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



to the impressions of beat 



Iv in those strains of nati 
:o which they gave bin 
1 Highland ilary, is kno 



extract them, tiey are addressed i 
Heaven '. 

Thou lingering star, with lessening ray, 
That lovest to greet the early mom, 

My Mary from my soul was torn. 
Mary ! dear departed shade ! 

Wbe"re is thy blissful place of rest ? 
Seest tbou thy* lover lowly laid 1 

Hear'st thou the groans that rend his breast ? 
That sacred hour can I forget, 

Can I forget the hallow 'd grove, 
Where by the winding Ayr we met, 

To live one day of parting love: 

Tho^e records dear of transports past ; 



re dwelt the longer on the early part 



The farm of Mossgiel, at the time of our 
coming to it (Martinmas, 1783), was the pro. 
perty of the earl of Loudon, but was held in 
■ -'- by Mr Gavin Hamilton, writer in Mauch- 

from whom we had our bargain ; who had 

■re regard for my brother," before he knew 






I with a most respectable circle of friends 
elations. It is to this gentleman The 
•'« Saturday Night is inscribed. The 
I of my brother, which I have formerly 



round the raptured scene. 



Pr 

tiil 


c!a 
1 1 


m'dthe 


Stjg 


Its,, 




bu 










; ' r 




channels dee 


per wear. 


"ll" 


r' 


is thy bi 
"thtu'the 


ss? 


endhisbrea 


To 
jhi 


th 
sbi 


delineat 
other, an 
sary, in 


ons of the poet by him 



given the follow: 
left Ayrshire, or 



' the poems formerly printed, 

be words of Gilbert Burns, 
ddressed to the Editor, has 
ng account of the friends 



v.l 


ich gave them a 


sort 


of currency, 


necessary 








for the good 




of 


things valuable 




themselves. 


But Mr 


a; 


















owed the 




rmesl regard fo 


r the man, and 


did every 






ft 










Ep 


stle to a You 


? Vrie,J 




s addressed to th 


- 2 


ntleman's so 


n, Mr A. 


H 




L 


verpool. He 


was the 




est of a young f 




, who were 
















ins and their fa 




s friend. 






• The Brigs of 


,,, 


r is inscribed to John 


Ballantine, Esq. ba 
gentlemen to whom 




in Ayr j on 










by 


Mr Aiken. He i 


nterested hin 


self very 








concerns, and 


constantly 






iri* 








him. When th 


k; 










cer 




ointedoat 


th 


propriety of p 








M 






printed the 


tir.r, v .a- 


as 


ed if he would ] 




the second, a 


id take his 



of being paid from the first 
ined ; and when this came 
'a knowledge, he generously oflfere 



l e Robert 



■;7'' 



might 



Edinburgh, as the fittest place for publishing. 
When he did go to Edinburgh, his friends 
advised him to pniilUh again by subscription, 
so that he did not need to accept this offer. 
Mr William Parker, merchant in Kilmarnock, 
was a subscriber for thirty-rive copies of the 
ion. This may perhaps appear 



Ei>,.ir: 



ing of „, 



trity of the 



t if the i 
many things 



le of those friends Robert's poetry had 

ed him, and one who was dear to his 

This gentleman h 



BURNS LIFE. 



espondence commences ; and in the 



will be found, 
cessity of any 



111 -i 



■e the n 



for Edinburgh in the month 
of November, 17S6, and arrived on the second 
day afterwards, having performed his journey 
on foot. He was furnUhed with a letter of 
i to Dr BlaeklucK, from the gentle- 
man to whom the Doctor had addressed the 
letter which is represented by our bard as the 
immediate cause of his -.1,11,0. the Sc ■iti.-li 
metropolis. He was acquainted with Mr 
Stewart, professor of Moral Philosophy in the 
University, and had been entertained by that 

He had been introduced by Mr Alexander Ual- 
zel to the Earl of Glencairn, who had expressed 



He had friend, tn-r-oo. 
him into the circles of U 






son might be said of him with great propriety, 

after the publication of my brother's first 
Edinburgh edition. Sir William Cunningham 
of Robertland, paid a very flattering attention, 
and showed a good deal of friendship for the 
poet. Before his going to Edinburgh, as well 
as after, Robert seemed peculiarly pleased with 
Professor Stewart's friendship and conversa- 

" But of all the friendships which Robert 

more agreeable to him than that of Mrs VJunlop 

formly and e i 1 behalf of him 

and of his family ; of which, were it proper, I 
could give many instances. Robert was on the 
point of setting out for Edinburgh before Mrs 
Uunlop had heard of him. About the time of 



table by a friend, and happening to open ( 
The Cotter's Saturday Night, she read it ov 
with the greatest pleasure and surprise : tl 
poet's description of the simple cottagers, ope 
ating on her mind like the charm of a powerf 

ing her to her wonled inward harmony ai 
satisfaction. —Mrs Duulop sent off a perse 



Saturday producing a succ-,he number. His 

ninety-seventh number of those unequal, 
though frequently beautiful essays, is devoted 
to An Account of Robert Burns, the Ayrshire 
ploughman, with extracts from his Poems, 
written by the elegant pen of Mr Mackenzie. - 

- "' ulv, but in various parts of Entria.. :, 
to whose acauaintance therefore our bard was 
The paper of Mr 



; the < 

as well as generous ; and in the style and 
sentiments there is that happy delicacy, by 
which the writings of the author are so emi- 
nently distinguished. The extracts from 
Burns' Poems in the ninety-seventh number of 

the fame of our bard spread throughout the 
island. Of the manners, character, and con- 
duct of Burns at this period, the following ac- 
couut has been given by Mr Stewart, in a letter 
to the editor, which he is particularly happ, to 



lesiring him to send her half a dozen copies of 
bis poems, if he had them to spare, and legging 



ended only with the poet's life. The last u 
he made of his pen was writing a short lett 
to this lady a few days before his death. 

"Col. Fullarton, who afterwards paid 
very particular attention to the poet, was n 

ing author. At this distance of time, and 
the hurry of a wet day, snatched from labor 



ledge, I shall be heartily sorry. " 

The friendship of Mrs Dunlop was of parti- 
cular value to Burns. This lady, daughter and 
sole heiress to Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie, 
andlineal descendant of the illustrious Wallace, 

ties of mind suited to her lifgii lineage. Pre- 
serving, in the decline of life, the generous af- 
fections of youth ; her admiration of the poet 



through goo 



n poverty, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIUIAHY. 



wi' a Lord— star 

" Up a hig e h r e7j a e" 



r* 


ilmzsl 


olter'd in a n 




at bis 


^ordihip stea 




Lik 




E*. 


?'/■'> 


sarorUednie 




Im 


trked nought 


Iv, 


atch'd the svroptoms 










The 




Th 


tier a 




Nor sauce 


nor state tha 




-Mai 


than an hou 


Then from 


his Lordship 


Up 


ictforl! 






One 


rank as well 



of some of his favo 



; others, to Mr Henry Mackenz 
•commended him to public notie 
.umber of The Lounger. 
t this time Burns's projects in 1 



of information 


i 


the 


re b 


.A \ 


f-u a lilt 1 


mo 


A J^llil-.Tr,, a 












up. 


he would, I th 


uk 










estingi but b 












";'l 


aw in thecirc 


e of bis 


ord 


nar 








of 




tbi 


>g 


ppp-ydjj 


.? 
















somew hat decided t 




ard 






hap 






i/e 




"g 








n lb 




ncj 








originality of 1 














SI'mT 


" 


o!' 




1; 


n, a^d^a 3 






ll" 












r£s?!z2. 






phr 






. 



a part of the country agree; 
ntions he received during h 



head bl 



BURNS. 

i from all ranks and descriptioi 



any unfavo, 
left on his mind. He retained the same sim- 

struck me so forcibly when I first saw him in 

tional self-importance from the number and 
rank of his new acquaintance. His dress was 
perfectly suited to his station, plain and unpre- 



Ifl 



nsln 1 



request, early in the morning, and walked with 
me to Braid-Hills, in the neighbourhood of the 
town, when he charmed me still more by his 

company. He was' passionately fond of the 
beauties of nature; and I recollect once he 

pect in 'one of our morning "walks, that the 
sight of so many smoking cottages gave a 
pleasure to his mind, which none could under- 
stand who had not witnessed, like himself, the 
happiness and the worth which they contained. 

Jacobite ; which was perhaps owing partly to 

estate of Lord°.Mareschall. Indeed he did not 
appear to have thought much on such subjects, 
nor very consistently. He had a very strong 
sense of religion, and expressed deep regret at 
the levity with which he had heard it treated 
occasionally in some convivial meetings which 
he frequented. I speak of him as he was in 
the winter of 17S6-7 ; for afterwards we met 
but seldom, and our conversations turned 









not from any of your letters to me, that you 
had ever seen Burns.* If you have, it if 
superfluous for me to add, that the idea which 
his conversation conveyed of the powers of hi; 
mind, exceeded, if possible, that which is sug- 



poetry was^rather the result of his own enthu- 
siastic and impassioned temper, than of a 



" Among the subjects or 



ment. His wit was ready, and always im- 
pressed with the marks of a vigorous under- , 

or happy. His attempts 'at epigram, in his 
printed works, are the only performances, 
perhaps that he has produced, totally unwor- 
thy of his genius. 

" In summer, 1787, I passed some -weeks 
in Ayrshire, and saw Burns occasionally. I 
think that he made a pretty long excursion 
that season to the Highlands, and that he also 

i - , u n 1 I . , 1 n 1 "t 

the Tweed. 

« I should have mentioned before, that not- 
withstanding various reports 1 heard during 

i, \\ L t' . 

should have concluded in favour of his habits 
of sobriety, from all of him that ever fell under 
my own observation. He told me indeed 
himself, that the weakness of his Etomach was 
such as to deprive him entirely of any merit in 

alarmed about the effect of his now compara- 
tively sedentary and luxurious life, when he 
eo.i.c^d to me, the first night he spent in my 
house, after his winter's campaign in town, that 
he had been much disturbed when in hed, by 
a palpitation at his heart, which, he said, was 



'•In the course of the same season, I was 
led by curiosity to attend for an hour or two a 
.Masonic lods-e in Mauchline, where Burns 
presided. He had occasion to make short 

vidnaUfrom whorn he haduo reason™ expect 

a visit, and every thing he said was happily 
conceived, and forcibly as well as fluently ex- 
pressed. If I am not mistaken, he told me, 
that in that village, before going to Edinbursh, 
he had belonged to a Mnail club of such of "the 
inhabitants as had a taste for books, when 
they used to converse and debate on any winter- 
ing in public had evidently the marks of sc 



:>ir,D.-.r 



>n, what I have 
istical in a high 
:me facility and 
judging of the 



always considered as 
degree of true genius 
good nature of his 

many^passages of English poetry with whic 

with which he heard them. The collection < 

hands, he read' with unmixed delight, notwiti 
standing his former efforts in that very difficu 

- -■ I . 

" In juaging of prose, I do not thinkh 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY, 
in's Works, which | English; and who, 



uaintness of Junius. The influence of this 
bjects of wonder than his poetical perfor- 



hildhood, fron 

s it probably v 

••Of the mo 
lentally fell int 



compositions with the 

They were chiefly ball 
n our Scottish dialect ; ; 



a among such of the 



had a very Kid 

countrv people or acouariu, as attect to unite 

some degree of ta=ie v. ith th ir religious studies. 



'• His father appeared to me, from the ac- 



ipplied to him (and he added, that the passage 
was a literal statement of fact), the two lasl 
lines of the following passage in the Minstrel, 

" Shall I be left forgotten in the dust, 






landing in his scholar a 
rdour for knowledge, had 

im piiLufn ui .ue .anguage. He began the 

finished the verbs. I have sometimes heard 



ole. I think he had a project 
Edinburgh, of prosecuting the 
intimate friend, the late Mr 



It would be worth while to ii: 
r he was able to read the Frenc 
such facility as to receive fro. 



thing of practical geometry, particularly of 

entirely his own. 

" The last time I saw him was during the 

hood of Edinbur?h, where' I was then°living. 
My friend Mr Alison was the only other in 

which Mr Alison sent 
him afterwards of his Essays on Taste, drew 

surprise at the distinct conception he appeared 
from it to have formed, of the several princi- 
ples of the doctrine of association. When I 

If it is, you mav easily procure it, by means of 
our friend Mr Houlbrooke. " 



ception was particularly flattering. The late 
Dr Robertson, Dr Blair, Dr Gregorv, Mr 
Stewart, Mr Mackenzie, and Mr Fraser Tytler, 



* Or rather 
ifidence witl 



BURNS. 

ledged more especially his power in conversa- 
cultivation of his genius. In Edinburgh, 
deal mixed. Ova hard was an acceptable 



in the 



say. si 



and frequently received from female beauty and 

grateful to him. At the table of Lord -Mon- 
hoddo he was a frequent guest ; and while he 
enjoyed the society, and partook of the h.i.-;>i- 
taiities of the venerable Judge, he experienced 
the kindness and condescension of bis lovelj 
and accomplished daughter. The singular 
beauty of this young lady was illumined by that 
happy expression of countenance which ivmi.i.- 



VZtit- 


M 


fsBur. 

,1 the. 


race, and go 


odn 


ss, the 


nee .Milton' 


Ev 

h 


s Addl 


celebrated i 


las 


train o 


"Fair Bur 




strikes 








I see the S 


reo 


fLove 



This lovely woman died a few years after- 
verses addressed to her memory. 

Among the men of rank and fashion, Burns 
was particularly distinguished by Jain--. K;.ri 
of Glencairn. On the motion of this noble- 
man, the Caledonian Hunt, (an association of 
the principal of the nobility and gentry of Scot- 
land,) extended their patronage to our bard, and 
admitted him to their say orgies. He repaid 
their notice by a dedication of the enlarged and 

! 'r.ngr hit country that the blood of 

her ancient heroes runs uncontaminated ; and 

spirit, she may expect protection, wealth, and 
liberty. . . . . . . . . May comm- 
and may tyranny in the ruler, ami licentious- 
It is to be presumed that these generous sen- 

to independence of character and conduct, were 
favourably received by the persons to whom 

fromlverV romThat of the 

Earl of Glencairn. This accomplished noble- 
man, a scholar, a man of taste and sensibility, 
died soon afterwards. Had he li»ed, and had 
s, Scotland might 



ined perhaps an uncommon proportion of 






■ taste, elegance, and literature. The sudden 
ter,.ti..n in his habits of life operated on him 
as well as morally. The humble fare 
if an Ayrshire peasant he had exchanged for 
he luxuries of the Scottish metropolis, and 

in could no" be C inconsiderable" Butwhat- 
iufluence might be produced on his con- 



) much curious and melancholy reflection. He 
aw his danger, and at times formed resolutions 
j guard against it ; hut he had embarked on 



thentic, though imperfect 






,f observation. The followi 
lerve as a specimen : 

Edinburgh, April 9, 1787. 
'As I have seen a good deal of human life 
n Edinburgh, a great many characters which 
ire new to one bred up in the shades of life as 
[ have been, I am determined to take down 

etter to Mr Palgrave, that, ' half a word fixed 
lpou, or near the spot, is worth a cart-load of 
ecollection. ' I don 't know how it is with the 
.vorld in general, but with me, making my re- 



lark, and at times, no doubt, to admin 
iteness and penetration. The world ai 
;ied with selfish pursuits, ambition, va 



orth tr. 



any obst 



ound ths , 
bservation is a sucker, or branch of the darling 
lant they are rearm? in their fancy. Nor am 
sure, notwithstanding all the sentimental 
lights of novel-writers, and the sage philosophy 
f moralists, whether we are capable of so 
atimate and cordial a coalition of friendship, 

very thought and floating fancy, his very in- 
i..-t null, v.nh unreserved confidence to an- 



3S DIAMOXD CABIXET LIBRARY. 

these pages my confidant. I will sketch every I am so capable of ihe throes of gratitnde, i 
character that any way strikes me, to the best am miserably deficient in some other virtue: 
of my power, with unshrinking justice. I will | •' With I am more at my ease, 

old lawphrase,roaAott«/e«dor/oDOttr— Where! but when he kindly interests himself in 



"To these seetninglr invidious, but too jusi 
ideas ot humin friendship, I would cheerfully 



book, so fully d ( 
imperfectly ex 

and reaections 
are proper for 



with scarcely any emo- 
is of the poet in procuring this 



And each warm w 



•ings mutual frotr. 






lie new edition of his poems. Burns ac- 
a sum of money that enabled him not 
partake of the pleasures of Edinburgh, 
fratif'y a desire he had long entertained, 
ing those parts of his native country, 
tractive by their beauty o " 



nay, of | turally revived. The : 



.1 the r. 



nofsu 



e bui.k 



avowed worth, is received every wh.re, with i the Tweed, and of its tributary streams, strongly 
the reception which a mere ordinary ch iracter, ! interested his fancy ; and, accordingly, he left 
decorated with the trappings and futile dislinc ' Edinburgh on the fith of May, 1737, on a tour 

man of , through a country so much celebrated in the 

1 rs of Scotland. He travelled on 



srreat man's table, a Squire sometl 
Sit somebody ; he knows the noble 
at heart, gives the bard, or whateve 
=aire ot his good wishes, beyond, pe 
ane at table; yet how wiil it mor: 
see a fellow, whose abilities woul 
have made an ei*hipenny tailor, s 



" The noble G 

: soul here, because I de 
d love him. He showe 



m my gage of contemptuous defiance, but 
ihook my hand, and looked so benevolently 
d at parting. God bless him ! though I 

il my ayiug day ! I am pleased to think I 



horseback, and was accompanied, d 

part of his journey, by Mr Ainslie, now writer 

.-. a gentleman who enjoyed much 

of his friendship and of his confidence. Of 

ery, and which is chiefly oc.-upied with an ac 



m the-, 



-J^>, 



this tour he vi = r,-„ Mr A. ..='.:» of Berrywell, 
the father of his companion ; Mr Brydone, the 
celebrated traveller, to whom he carried a let- 
ter o: introduction from .Mr Mackenzie; the 
Rev Dr Somerville of Jedburzh, the historian ; 
Mr and Mrs Scott of Wauchope ; Dr Elliot, 

banks of the Roole ; Sir Alexander Don ; Sir 
James Hall of Dunglass; and a great variety 
of other respectable characters. Every where 
the fame of the poet had spread before him, 
and every where he received tl ~ " 



BURNS LIFE. 



by the magistrates with the freedom of their 
aorough. The following may serve as aspe- 

rerence to living characters prevents our giving 

" '^Saturday, May 6. Left Edinburgh_Lam- 



" Lau». 



cry pr:t 



le Men 



i meeting with my compn*non de voya S e, very 

"Sunday. Went to church at Dunse. 
Heard Dr Bowmaker. . . . 
"JMandm 



.vitll M 






r, especially on the Scot. 



a hoily-oush growing where James the Si 

old garden planted by the religious, rooted out 

of the Duke's!— Climate and soil of Berwick 
shire, and even Roxburghshire, superior to Ayr 
shire — bad roads — turnip and sheep husbandr 

kets, consequently low lands — magnificence c 
farmers and farm-houses. Come up the Tevi 
ot, and up the Jed to Jedburgh, to lie, and s 

■« Wednesday. Breakfast with Mr Fair. 
. . Charming romantic situation of .led 

mingled among°the houses, and the ruins of 
once magnificent cathedral. All the town 

river. Dined with Capt.' Rutherford, . . 
return to Jedburgh. Walked up the Jed wit 

burn, two fairy scenes. Introduced to M 
Potts, writer, and to Mr Somerville, th 

man, but sadly addicted to punning. 



"Jedburgh 


Saturday. Was 


pre, 


ented by 


the magistrates with the freedom 






"Took fai 


eweil of Jedburgt 






md 1:i ,h.,i, 5 










May 14, Kdso. 




with the 




-all gentlemen ta 




of high 






huu 




Z/30 to L50 


alue, and attends t 


e fox 


' 






h Mr 




of the ciub, 


tad a friend of Mr 








s, M 


r Ker is 




like my dear old 




1 Robert 



offers to accompany me in my English to 

"Tuesday. Dine with Sir Alexander Don ; 
a very wet day. . . . Sleep at Mr Her's 
again, and set out next day for Melrose- '"* 



Dryburgh a fine old ruined abbey, by the way. 
Cr,..,= tue Leader, and come up the" Tweed 'i , 
Melrose. ihne there, aul Msit that far-famed 

if Ettrick. The 



iving spent thret 



. Ettrick, remarkably 

veeks in exploring this 
Mr Hood" 



Northumberland. Mr Ker and 

with whom he had 

quainted in the course of his tour, accompanii 
him. He visited Alnwick Castle ; the prince 
seat of the Duke of Northumberland; tl 
hermitage and old castle of Warkswortli 
Morpeth, and Newcastle. — In this town 1 

south-west by Hexh" 



in the co 

, given 



SJ..U 



almost always a favourable one. That on the 
banks of the Tweed and of the Teviot, our 

of t .- ir p-irt u ii-ly described in his journal. 
But it does not appear that the scenery, or its 
inhabitants, produced any effort of his muse, 

From Annan, Burns proceeded to Dumfries, 
and thence, through Sanquhar, to Mo,»ziel, 
near Mauchliue, in Ayrshire, where he arrived 
about the Sth of June, 1787, after an absence 
of six bu,y and eventful months. It will be 

he was received by his mother, his brothers, 

paratively friendless ; he returned to' them high 

his ardent affections, and ready to share with 









* ' I -write you this on my tour through a 
country where savage streams tumble over 
savage mountains, thinly overspread with sav- 
age tlocks, which starvingly support as savage 
inhabitants. My last stage was Inverary — to- . 
morrow night's stage, Dumbarton. I ought 

youTnow (amTman of mTny sins. " "' " 
From this journey Burns returned to his 

county, "where he was now very generally- 
known and admired. In August he again 
visited Edinburgh, whence he undertook 

month, in company with Mr M. Adair, now 
Dr Adair of Harrowgate, of which this 



DIAMOND CABIN 
s with the' following 

e'by ]Jnlith|ow and 

at Carron, with which the'pnet was forcibly 
struck. The resemblance between that place, 
and its inhabitants, to the cave of Cyclops, 
which must have occurred to every classical 

the prospects from the castle strongly inter- 
national feelings had "been powerfully excited 
by the ruinous and roofless state of the hall in 
which the Scottish Parliaments had frequent- 
ly been held. His indignation had vented il- 

Hnes.'whTchha^ven^'iuch oft'enc?, and which 
he took this opportunity of erasing, by breaking 
the pane of the window at the inn on which 

travellers from Edinburgh, among whom was 
a character in many respects congenial with 
that of Burns. This was Nicol, one of the 
teachers of the High Grammar-School at 



ently opposite. I regret that I 



ET LIBRARY. 

■essing in more glowing and fer»d 



ace which gave the Scottish throne its 
test ornament, interested his feelings more 
-fully. This venerable dame, with charac- 
' J ;nity, informed me, on my observing 






J IV ri 



to Harvieston, in Clackmai 
habited b, Mrs Hamilton, 

Fy ' acqJIi °ted. am He "produced" 
family, and there was formed my fit 
tance with Mrs He " 



'emphasis! 



lie of Devoi 
ire, then in- 
the youngei 



d for 



Thus was I indebted to Bui 
from which I have derived, 
to derive, much happiness. 



romantic interest i particularly Castle Camr 
bell, the ancient seat of the family of Argyle 
and the famous cataract of the Devon, calle 
the Cauldron Linn ; and the Rumbling Bridgt . 
a single broad arch, thrown by the Devil, if 



expressed their disappoint 



;hat I believed 
ly of Robert Bruce, that Robert Bruce was 
sprung from her family. Though almost de- 
prived of speech by a paralytic affection, she 

preserved her hospitality and urbanity. She 



(Ve returned to Edinburgh by Kinro.s 
(on the shore of Lochleven) and Queensferrw 
1 am inclined to think Burns knew nothing of 



r .Michael Bru 

■had died there a shorl 

Itage and early grave c 



Here I m 

■epentance, s 
mt for fornit 



n. He knelt and kissed the stone with 

derated the worse than Gothic neglect of the 
it of Scottish heroes."! 



The surprise expressed by Dr Adair, 



ry of 



the Devon should have failed 

exertion of the poet's muse, is not in its nature 

not expressing in more glowing language his 
friends of Burns on other occasions of the 



LCted from a letter of Dr Adair to lb 



same nature Yet the inference that Dr Ada! 

little taste for the picturesque, might be ques 
tioned, even if it stood unconlroverted by othe 



of the effect expected. Hence perhaps it may 
he explained, why the banks of the Devon and 
the Tweed form no part of the subjects of his 



viewed the Cauldron Linn. Certainly there 
are no affections of the mind more deadened 
by the influence of previous expectation, than 
those arising from the sight of natural objects, 
and more especially of objects of grandeur. 
.Mir.u'.e descriptions of scenes, of a sublime 
nature, should never be given to those who 
are about to view them, particularly if they 
are persons of great strength and sensibility of 



Languag 



veysi 



of si 



___ imdofagrei . 
ture that far transcends them. The imagina- 
tion of Burns might form a cataract in com- 
parison with which the Cauldron Linn should 
teem the purling of a rill, and even the mighty- 
falls of Niagara a humble cascade. * 

Whether"these suggestions may assist in 
explaining our Bard 's deficiency of impression 
on the occasion referred to, or whether it 
ought rather to be imputed to some pre-occu- 
pation, or indisposition of mind, we presume 



this association Burns contemplate 
ery of the Devon with the eye oi 
poet, the following lines, written 



To have formed before-hand 
licture in the mind, of any interesting 
>r thing, generally lessens the pleasure 
irst meeting with them. Though this 
)e not superiur, or even equal to the 



•mL,ia:,c 



more pleasure than the first. See the Element) 
of the Philosophy of the Human Mind, by Mr 
Stewart, p. 484. Such publications as The 
Guide to the Lakes, where every scene i- J " 
scribed in the most minute manner, and > 



-LIFE, 41 

On a Young Lady, residing on the banks of th 
small river Devon, in Clackmannanshire, 61 



et blushing flower, 



e gay rosy morn 

jf the soft v« 



That steals on tl 
spare the dear bl 



The different journeys already r 



)f his life. Sir Nicol was of Dumfries-shire, 
)f a descent equally humble with onr poet. 
Like him he rose by the strength of his talents, 
ind fell by the strength of his passions. He 



the means of entering himself at the Univer- 
sity of Edinburgh. There he was first a stu- 
dent of theology, then a student of medicine, 

those parts of their exercises in which the 
Lalin language is employed. In this situation 

particulars of his history, as well as in the 
leading features of his character. The office 
of a«i,tant teacher in the High-school being 
vacant, it was, as usual, filled up by eompeti- 

NicoU P by 'Ut' r ' " 

the other candidates. This office he filled at 

the period of which we speak. 

It is to be lamented; that an acquaintance 
with the writers of Greece and Rome does not 
always supply an original want of taste and 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



constantly excited by° 


he wi|d and 


-ubli 






Of th 


several proofs in r, be to 






merly printed * Of the 




e of the 


poems, The hmnlle Ptl 
and of the bard's visit t 


lion of Brua 
j Alhole Ho 
in Letters Nc 


• Wale 


No. 34: and. 1 ■. the i'. 


mm uf Mr \ 




Perth, then residing- in 


he family of 


lie Y)u 



wouldconducThL 



reaper's nightly beam, 

e jii'.r;:ii- lliroiiirli i lie Te e 
iv darklj -dashing stream. 
swelling ou the breeze. 

lrlE n storn y ed"to d 
rassed, plain, an. 
complete reliance 



1 never to forget a proper respect 
B species of dignity belonging to 

t, he spoke with ease, propriety, 
He tried to exert h.s abilities, 

there" The' Duke's fine young 

ind with which he has very feli- 

I took a ride with him through 
ist romantic parts of that neigh, 
was highly gratified by his con. 

1 strength of expression, Twill 



the grounds. It was already growing dark; 


before and after the Duke's return, of which he 


view L of 'Their 6 beauties'' which "the moonlight 


v.,, perfectly sensible, without being vain ; 




the most approbate return lie could make', to 


of his feelings at the time. I had often, like 


write some descriptive verses on any of the 






from the sublime or elegant landscape, but I 


lighted. After leaving Blair, he, by the 


never saw those filing, :,, intense as in Burns. 


Duke's advice, visiteu the Full, nf Bruar, and 


When we reached a rustic hut on the river 


in a few days I received a letter from Inverness, 


'.lit. v. L~-re it is overhung L\ a Wijodv nreei- 


with the verses inclosed. "J 


pice, from which there is a noble water-fall, 


It appears that the impression made by our 


he threw himself on the heathy seat, and gave 










charmed with the reception he received from 








spent at Alhole-house as among the happiest of 




his life. He was warmly invited to prolong 












to be regretted, as he would otherwise have 




t In the preceding winter, Burns had been 






Loch Turit. a wild scene' among the hills of 


but this description of his manners is perfectly 


Ochtertyre. " "Lines written with a Pencil 


applicable to his first appearance in such 


over the chimney piece, in the Inn at Ken- 


society. 


more, Tayinouth. " "Lines written with a 


% Extract of a letter from Mr Walker to Mr 


pencil standing by the Fail of Fyres, near 


Cunningham, dated Perth, 24th October, 



BURN'S LIFE. 



been introduced to Mr Dundas (then daily ex- 

itoxe fortunes. At Athole house, he 
met, for the first time, Mr Graham of Fintry, 

office in the Excise. 

The letters and poems which he addressed 
to Mr Graham, bear testimony of his sensibil- 
ity, and justify the supposition, that he would 






Hair of i 



Fochabers. In the course of the preceding 
winter Burns had been introduced to the 
Duchess of Gordon at Edinburgh, and pre- 
suming on this acquaintance, he proceeded to 
Gordon Castle, leaving Mr Nicol at the inn in 

to "dinner, he was invited to take his place at 

of wine, he rose up and proposed to withdraw. 

the first time, his eneagement with his fellow- 
traveller ; and his noble host offering to send 
a servant to conduct Mr Nicol to the castle, 

self. He was, however, accompanied by a 
gentleman, a particular acquaintance of the 
Duke, by whom the invitation was delivered 
in all the forms of pol.teness. The invitation 
came too late ; the pride of Nicol was inflamed 
to a high degree of passion, by the neglect 
which he had already suffered He had ordered 
the horses to be put to the carriage, being de- 

ihey found him parading the streets of Focha- 
bers, before the door of the inn, venting his 
anger on the postilion, for the slowness with 

reduced to the necessity of separating froT2 
him on their journey. He" chose the last of 



and regret, he turned his back on Gordoi 

happy' davs. Sensible, however, of the grea 
kindness of the noble family, he made the bes 
return in his power, by the'following poem.* 



From tyranny's empurpled bands 
These, their richly gleaming wav, 



Or the ruthless native's way, 

Eent on slaughter, blood, and spoil, 

Woods that ever verdant wave. 

Give me the'groves that lofty brave 



Is the forest, pours the flood. 



By bonnie Castle Gordon. + 

lurns remained at Edinburgh dnrintr the 
iter part of the winter, 1787-8, and again 

ropolis. It appears that, on the 31st day 



Prii.ee Charles Edward. Whati 



fectly loyal to the king on the throne. It is 
not to be conceived that they entertained any 
hope of, any wish for, the restoration of the 
House of Stuart; but, over their sparkling 

which the re t t" i greatne si 



produced an ode, which, though deficient in 
the complicated rhythm and polished versitica- 

won the butt of Malmsey from the real laureate 






Submissive, low, adori 



Ye honour 'd mighty dead ! 
Tio nobly perish 'd in the glorioi 
jur king, your country, and hei 



■ ■- ■■■■■■; ■ ■• 
tremelyfond. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



(What breast of northern ice but warms ?) 

To bold Balmeriiio', u.iJjm; name, 



:s the proudest wreath departed heroi 



Not unreversed your fate 

It only lags, the falal 1 

Your blood shall with in. 



Till deep it crashing whelms the colts 

In relating the incidents of our poe 
Edinburgh, we ought to have meut 
sentiments of respect and svmpatby w 



SSST 

humble 5 



shee, in the Canongate 



aging advice it was owing (as has alrea . . 
li^'ir.d) thai Born,, instead of emigrating 10 the 
West Indies, reoaired to Edinburgh. He re- 
ceived him Here" with all the ardour of "' 



of 1787, at bis ti< 
neighbourhood of Si 



telleciual brigh 


ness as from him, the impulse 




sparks of celestial lire! I 




delighted, therefore, than wilh 


his company f 






I should have made little of 


hint; for, .nth 


e gamester's phrase, he did not 


* In the first 


part of this ode there is some 










tier's Lamenk- 


--But if there were no other 


reasons for omi 




the want of orig 


inalitv would be ^.'ii'cii-ht. A 


considerable pa" 


rt of it is a kind of rant, for 






i iriotij oth-r oi 




sible lotgv along 





:he Gentle Shcpher< 
antly recognises as 



vhether the Ediuburgh I 



. i '_ jith'mai liffii alties'in the farm of 
.Mossgiel. With the remainder of this sum, 



except on 


,to 


her, Mr Cre 
d himself r 
nds, afler 
Two hun 


ch, 


i himself 


H.e 



to -Mr .Hi r ol Da '.vinlon. Understanding 
1787, to view his'estate in NUhsdale, offering 



•* Extract of a Ulhr from ji 



his friends might judge proper. 



tage of the lib 


frailty 


of Mr Mille 


. He pro- 


ceederi in this 






with more 






,. ' Having made , 


of the farm of 


E.;i-: 


md. he empl 


jved two o 


his friends, skilled in 


the value of 


and, to ex 






heir approba 


ion, offered 


a rent to Mr M 




hichwasimn 


ediately ac 


eepted. Itwa 




nvenient for 


Mrs Burns 






from Ayrsh 




poet therefore 








EUisIand, to p 




for the rece 


ption cf his 


Wife and childr 




d joined him 




end of the year 








The situatio 




hieh Burns 




himself was o 


alculat 


d to awakei 




The different st 


?= h ^ 


had of late 




in their nature 


-- IJ ; 










jeasure, fixed 






' a' hi 


sband and a 


father; he 


had engaged i 


l the 




of a consi- 


derable farm, a 


dime 




ous under- 


taking; in his 






ness of his 


family was in 


olved; 




therefore, 


to abandon the 


ayety 


and dissipati 


an of which 



"EUisIand, Sunday, liih June, 1TS8 

■ T! :- :- :. . . .1. ■■ .1 1 ! 

in this country. ' Lord, what is man ! ' Wha 
a bustling little bundleof passions, an. tit. - 

indeed an elsewhere, where, as Thomson says 

"Tellns, ye dead: 
What 'tis you are, and we must shortly be ? 
Will make us wise as you are, and as close. " 



gle with the stream, till some sudden squall 
shall overset the silly vessel, or in the listless 

aS^ect 'Y.' - ^ddy C follies! 

those varnished vices, which, though half- 
sanctified by the bewitching levity of wit, and 
humour, are at best but thriftless idling with 



onin» th 


e whole, 


that, i 


ke the plains of 










5d Elisha 


nothing s 


,ort ot 
aft it h. 


supernaturally- 


Wedloc 










) care, if 




nd religion were 






ames, was what 


few seas 


ons I mu 


-t have 


resolved on ; in 



sary. Humanity, generosity, honest pride o 
character, justice, to my own happiness fo 
alter life, so far as it could depend (which i 



-LIFE. 43 

surely will a great deal) on internal peace ; all 
these joined their warmest suffrages, their most 
powerful solicitations, with a rooted attach- 
ment, to urge the step I have taken. Ivor 

^- T -- I fa a ri n c Vhow n t C ut hav/never s^TwherT 



1 could 
then, let 



up to my fav, 



That column of tr 



commodation of his family. On this occasion, 

r. ■: :.,... 

his skill impaired Pleased with surveying the 

grounds he was about to cultivate, and with 
the rearing of a tuilding that should give =htlt,T 



iself informs us, the "most tranquil',' if not 



period of his life, our poet was without 
society of his wife and children. A g 



mduct.f But his application to the cares 
id labours of his farm was interrupted bv 
veral visits to his family in Ayrshire ; and 
i the distance was too great for a"single day 's 



id sentiments of any kind, almost 



in part expressed by the following 
and characteristic, though not v fry 
;rses : they are in imitation of an old 



I'll partake wi'nae-todv; 
ITltak cuckold fraenane." 
I'll gie cuckold to nae-body. 

I hae a penny to spend, 

There-thanks to nae-body; 

I hae naething to lend, 
I'll boiTow frae nae-body. 

I am nae-hody's lord, 

I'll be slave to nae-body ; 

I hae a guid braid sword, 
I'll takdunts frae nae-body. 

Ill be merry and free, 
I '11 be sad for nae-body ; 

I'll care' for nae-body. 



journey, he generally spent a nis 
on the road. On such occasions E 
fell into company, and forgot th< 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

letter to the editor, 



he lived. The public voice had now pro- 



the south, with 

quickly 



near Closeburn, I said to my companion 

is Burns. ' On coming to the inn, the hostler 

told us he would be back in a few hours to 



ouirne, 


1-1 t 


othe 


Hoard of 


ratio.!. 


li- 


„'.'... 


applied t 


J, by 1 


ne in 


To 6 


of .Mr G 


1,'ar!;, - 


.!;.■■! 


gau 





part of his care or his thou-h s. It v.a- no! at 
Ellisland that he was now in general to be 
found. Mounted on horseback, this high- 
minded poet was pursuing the defaulters of the 

dale, fcis roving <■■.*. v.aiHl-n.itr o-.er thee], arms 
of nature, and muUerin S his vmyxard Jancws 
as he moved along. 

" I had an adventure with him in the year 
1790," says Mr Ramsay of Ochterljre, in a 



1 with his uxor Scibma qualis, and the 

inarj rustics. In the evening he sud- 
bounced in upon us, and said, as he 
1, I come, to use the words of Shsk- 
, slewed in haslc. In fact, he had ridden 



!, when Mr S 



Rob Slacq 


acta 8 Elshon, 


y of Robert Bruce being 


of Caern 


, when the heel 


loosened 


n his flight, he 




to fix it ; who. 






re now go 


ng on at a great 


— poppe 


1 iu his head; 




rse, which had 


,7'."\" 


in a little while 




s the force and 


i .Mr S- 


- 's cheeks, 


met"no 5 r 


we, and' I was 






all hardly 


ever see his like 




sort of comet in 




ions, which did 


jued to tl 


e blaze of light 


1791, twe 


English gentle- 




h him in Edin- 


o him at 


Ellisland. On 



* The 



of Tlie Whistle celeb 



of Nithsdale, where Burns appears as umpire. , beef, with vegetables and barley-broth, aft. 
Mr Riddel died before our bard, and some the manner of Scotland, of which they partot 
elegiac verses to hi? memory will be found in ', heartily. After dinner, the bard told the 



ir Robert Law 

Sts of a'bloo 
fight the ba 





1UO 


sly t 


at he had 


no w 


ne to 


offer 










Hl-hl 




„kv, 






■ v.h 


ch Mrs Burn 




a the 


oar.i. 


He 


proc 


uced 






his p 


unci,. 


tr 


'pin 


'-"V;! 


Inverary m 


rble, 




i ;:..,« 


,1.. 


es, 


and i 


nvited them 


to .or 


nk.* 


'11': 


* 


Thi 


bowl 


was made of the sto 


ne of which 







BURNS.- 


travellers were 


in hast 


, and besides, the 




L:-k; .. 






el, toler 


ble; but the gen- 








ardent hospitality 




and it impossible to 


resist. Burns w 






the charms of hi 




tion were altogether 


fascinating. He 




over a great variety 






hatever he touched. 


He related the t 
youth; he recite 


i some of 


infancy and of his 
the gayest and some 






his strains of in 


rth, he 


threw in touches of 






round him the elec- 






ul mind. The high- 


laud whisky imp 




s flavour; the marble 


bowl was again „ 


nd again 


emptied and replen- 


ished; the guest 














theytoV 








uld scarcely distin- 


guish it when 




by the morning's 








Besides his du 


ies in th 


Excise and his so- 






umstances interfered 




n of Bur 


ns to his farm. He 


engaged in the f 




of a society for pur- 




ulating b 


ooks among the far- 


mers of his neig 


hbourhoo 


d, of which he un- 




agement 




himself occasion 


ally in 






of Mr 


ohnson, then in the 


course of publi 




These engagements, 


useful and hono 


urable in 


themselves, contri- 




t, to th 




thoughts from th 




of agriculture. 




ces may 


be easily imagined. 


Notwithstanding 


the uu 


form prudence and 


good managemeL 


t of Mrs 


Burns, and though 




oderate 


ind reasonable, our 






if not necessary, to 




j Mr Mi 


er; after having oc- 






half. His office in 


the Excise had 


rigiually 


produced about hfty 




11m. H 


ving acquitted him- 


self to the satis 


action ot 


the Board, he had 


been appointed 




district, the emolu- 


ments of which 






III family on th 








e income till promo- 


tion should reac 




disposed of his stock- 


and of his crop o 


n Ellisla 


ad by public auction, 


and removed to a 


small hn 


se which he had tak- 


en in Dumfries, 


about the 


end of the year 1791. 


Hitherto Burn 




addicted to excess in 




ned from the habit- 
















of his co 




temptations to th 






continually pres 


nted the 


mselves ; and his ir- 


regularities grew by degr 


es into habits. These 








gagements in th 






as during his ho 




ixation ; and though 


he yearly foresa 


w the co 


sequence of yielding 




id sensations, which 






tes of his judgment, 


finally triumph 


d over a 


1 the powers of his 


will. Yet this 


ictory w 




* Given from 

party. 


the info, 


mation of one of the 



any obstinate struggles. 



enjoy the pleasure of h 



tildest sallies of his wit; to witness the 
trength and degradation of his genius. 

Still, however, he cultivated the society of 
ersons of taste and respectability, and in their 
ompany could impose on himseli'the restraints 

int. In the four years which he 



of Mr Syme, written soon aft, 
is it gives an animated picture of b 
rect and masterly hand, we shall p 



s^nt Tine rea 

" I got Burns a grey highland shelty to ride 
on. We dined the first day, 27th July, 1793, 
at Glendenwynes of Parton ; a beautiful situa- 
tion on the banks of the Dee. In the evening 

from which we had as tine a view 



the author of Mary iceep no more for 



* the passing spirit" had appeared, had we 
rrived as Mr and Mrs Gordon were sitting 
" Here is a genuine baron's seat. The cas- 



f A beautiful and well-known ballad, whici 
begins thus : 

The moon had climb 'd the highest hill 
-^— o'er the source of Dee, 






t, shed 



i The level low ground on the banks of a 
river or stream. This word should be adopted 
from the Scottish, as, indeed, ought several 
others of the same nature. That dialect is 



rock. Ou the north, the aspect is great, wild, 
and I may say, tremendous. In short, 1 can 
scarcely conceive a scene more terribly roman- 
tic than the castle of Renmore. Burns thinks 
so highly of it, that he meditates a description 
of it 1U poetry. Indeed, 1 Li-lievr he ii,h Lijuil 
the work. We spent three days wild Mr 
Gordon, whose polished hospitality is of an 
original and endearing kind, Mrs Gordon's 
lap-dog, Echo, was dead. She would have an 

burns was' asked for "mT This was setting 
Hercules to his distal}'. He disked the sub- 
jeel ; but, to please the lady, he would try. 



Ye jarring screeching things aroun 



'■ We left Kenmore, and went to Gatehoi 

uesolale regions extended wide around. ' 

the sod; it became lowering and dark. ' 
hollow winds sighed, the lightning, gleam 
the thunder rolled. The poet enjoyed 

began to fall; it poured in floods upon 



to revenge ourselves, bums insisted at Gale- 
tio-seon our gelling utterly drunk. 

••From Gatehouse, we went next day to 
Kirkcudbright, through a line country. But 

of this sort is more trying to the temper than a 
serious calamity. We were going to Saint 
Mary's Isle, the seat of the Earl of Selkirk, and 
'iscomhted at the thought 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

h, on the south, Thy fool's head, quoth Satan, (hat 
ascape of green 
: ana there a grey 



of his ruined boots. 



1 at ten 



d the i 



him. Mercy ou us, how he did fume and rage ! 
Nothing could reinstate him in temper. I 
Ibat s y io e US e ra P edieQ, °' and at lafit hlt °" ° De 
■ ■ • •, across the bay of Wigton. Against 
expectorated his spleen, and regained a most 

matic humour indeed ! He afterwards Ml on 
humbler game. There is one • • • whom 
he does not love. He had a passing blow at him. 

When , deceased, to the devil went 

'Twas nothing would serve him but Satan"'*" 









.mfrUi. He insisted they 
Kirkcudbright about one 



that St Mary's Isle was the seat of a Lord; 
yet that Lord was not an oristocrate, at least 
in his sense of the word. We arrived about 
eignt o clock, as the family were at tea and 
cotiee. Si Mary'a Lie is one of the most de- 
lightful places that can, in n.y opinion.be form- 

tame object which constitutes nalurul and cul- 

nal grnceH, let me tell you that we found ail 

and some strangers; and among others, who 
but Urbanil The Italian sung us many Scoi- 



indulgence of the sympathy 



Burns' Lord Gre E 



but this is a cold-blooded objeclion, which will 



were equally gratitied. The poet was delight- 
admiration. The lion that had raged so uo- 
lently in the morning, was now as mild and 



tation. What do you think he was about ? 
He was charging the English army, along with 



BURNS. 

s troops, and gave ice a copy 



their being ever fulfilled. 



Though previously a jacohite and a cavalier, 
Bums had shared in the.,. i.n.ai hopes enter- 
tainedof this a-t nishinr revolution, by araent 
and benevolent mines. The novelty end the 
hazard of the attempt meditated b ; . t!;e Fir,l, 
or Constituent Assemtlv, served rather, it is 
probable, to recommend it to his oaring tem- 
per j and the unfettered scope proposal 10 Le 

gratifying to The feelings 









race. And even after the career of guilt and 
of blood commenced, he c>. uidno: immec.iat, 1;. , 
it may be presumed, withdraw his partial gaze 
from a people who had so lately breathed the 

1 !li< 11 1 irth. Under these impressi. ns, he 
did not always conduct himself with the cir- 
cumspection "and prudence -which his depend- 
ent situation set ined to demand. He engaged 
indeed in no popular associations so common 
at the time of which we speak ; but in com- 

Ssurest' o^oVX" eforms^uir'ed in" the 

them with a wiMand un mstinai .I'viheno nee. 
Information of this was given to the Board of 

such cases. A superior officer in that de- 
partment was authi 



e report. His steady friend, JIi 
tf Fintra, interposed his good offices 



port. In the poet 1 have avowed manly and 
independent sentiments, which 1 hope have 
been found in the man. Reasons of no less 

have po.nled cut 11 ./present occupation as the 
only eligible lineof life within my reach. Mi.l 

sentatmn may_ affix to my name. Often in 

future hackney scribbler, with the heavy ma- 
lice of savage stupidity, exuliingly asserting 
that Burns, notwithstanding the J jhjhronade of 

after having been held up to public view' and 
to pu .lie estimation,^ a man of some genius, 

to support his borrowed dignity, dwindled mm 
a paltry exciseman, and slunk out the rest of 
his insignificant existence in the meanest of 
pursuits, and among the lowest of mankind. 



but could r.c-t subdue. ' ' 

It was one of the last acts of his life to copy 
this letter into his book of manuscripts, ac- 
companied by some additional remarks on the 
same subject. It is not surprising, that at a 
s.- ; .son <i universal alarm r,r the safety of the 
ccustituti. n.the indiscreet expressions o"f a man 
so powerful as Burns, should have attracted 
notice. The times certainly required extraor- 

tt' _ 1 ' 1 idV . ui 

their brst duty. Yet generous minds will la- 
have robbed the imagination of our poet of the 
last prop on which his hopes of independence 

L Though the vehement e'e/'r'ur'ns's temper, 
increased as it often was by stimulating lieu, rs, 

guarded expressions, there" seems no reason to 

where he could have no tern; tat., 11 to disguise, 

might be my sentiments of republics, ancient 
or modern, "as to Britain, I ever adjured the 

idea. A constitution which, it, its original 
principles, experience has proved to be every 

way UMlfir car hanyimss, it would he in- 



DIAMGND CABINET LIBRARY. 



lowing hymn, worthy of the Grecian muse, 

Scene— A Field of Bailie— Time of the day, 
Erening—llte wounded and dying of the vic- 
torious army are supposed to join in the Jbl- 

F.irewell, thou fair day, thou green earth, and 
ye skies, 
Now gay with the bright setting sun ; 
l-'aiewell, loves and friendships, ye dear tender 

Thou grim king of terrors, thou life's gloomy 

Go, leach them to tremble, fell tyrant ! hut 
No terrors hast thou to the brave ! 

st the dull peasant, he sinks in the 



dark. 



eck of a 






lie falls in the "blaze of his fame ! 
In the field of proud honour— our swords i 
Our king and our country to save — 

.r : . sllineson life's last ebbing -arid: 

Though by nature of an athletic form. Burr 
had in his constitution the peculiarities nnd tl 
, iliat belong to the temperament i 
He was liable, from a very early pi 
riod of life, to that interruption in the process 
of digestion, which arises from deep and uniious 
thought, and which is sometimes the effect, and 

Connected with this disorder of the Stomach, 

there was a disposition to head-ache, affecting 
more especially the temples and eye-balls, and 
frequently accompanied by violent and irregular 

with great sensibility of nerves, Burns was, in 
his corporeal, as well as in his mental systt 



o fevi 
ind. This predisposit 



but was advised against i 
aged from it. The marti 
so high afterwards, on th 



r, seems more calculated 10 invigora 
it of defence, in a season of real at 



pollution of 'inebriation, how slmll he escape 
other pollution ? But let us refrain from the 

met nothing in his domestic circle but gentle- 
ness and forgiveness, except in the gnawings 

transgressions to the wife of his bosom, pro- 
mised amendment, and again and again re- 

beeame feebler, and habit acquired predomina- 
ting strength. 

From October, 1792, to the January follow, 
ing, an accidental complaint confined him to 
the house. A few days alter he began to go 

about three o'clock in a very cold morning, be- 
numbed and intoxicated. This was followed by 
an attack of rbenmatism, which confined him 
His appetite now began to 



fail: 



<■ filter. 



eovery, he was ever musing on the appro 

into a uniform gloom. 

It was hoped by some of his friends, that 
if he could live through the months of spring. 



the sun 



ited. "The gen 



ne 




ndvif 


ed to go into the 


eve'r 


nnpat 


■nt ol 
es of 


"m'rof teTe'te?! 


o.n 


rif N; 




effects of bathing 
se he took up his 


t 














of 


DmuiV 


es, o 


the shore of the 



BURNS. 



jes. He seemed alread 

: of eternity. Hta first 
ell, madam, have you any 
ither world?' I replied, t 



s earthly prospects. 



laofljinginofafifth. He 1 






eath would 



every s , 



ters and verses written with unguarded and 
improper freedom, and which he earnestly 

handed about by idle vanity or malevolence, 
when no dread of his resentment would re- 
st; ain them, or prevent the censures of shrill - 

envy, from pouring forth all their venom to 

De thrust upon the world. On this account 
he deeply regretted having deferred to put 

was now quite incapable of the "exertion. " — 
• « The conversation, ' ' she adds, ' ' « 
collected. There was frequently a joasider- 



At first, Burns imagined bathing in the sea 

limbs were relieved ; but this was immediately- 
followed by a new attack of fever. .When 

on the ISth of July, he was no longer able to 

his mind sunk into delirium, when"ot housed 
by conversation. On the second and third 

nished. On the fourth, the sufferings of this 



The death of Burns made a strong an 
especially o 






years of his life. 



heart. The 'Gentlemen Volunteers of Dum- 
fries determined to bury their illustrious asso- 

solemn and impressive. The Fencible Infan- 
try of Angus-shire, and the regiment of cavalry 
of the Cinque Ports, at that time quartered in 

and neighbourhood determined 3 to wait in 
the funeral procession ; and a vast concourse 
„t perils assembled, some of them from a 

tishBard.' On the evening of the 
2oth of July, the remains of Burns were re- 
moved from his house to the Town-Hall, and 
the funeral took place on the succeeding day. 
A party of the volunteers, selected to perform 

which were placed the hat and sword of their 
friend and fellow-soldier ; the numerous body 
of attendants ranged themselves in the rear ; 
while the Fencible regiments of infantry' and 
cavalry lined the streets from the Town-Hall 

yard, a distance of more than half a mile. 
The whole procession moved forward to that 

c* in Saul°: and three volleys' fired 
over his grave, marked the return of Burn, to 
his parent earth ! The spectacle was in a high 



* The particulars respecting the illness an 
iath of Burns were obligingly furnishe 

• Ur .Maxwell, the physician who attend* 



uhiir^em^u'hadcSieail'nhr 


sorrow 


II »i» an affecting circu.nslai.ce, 


that on 


the morning of the day of her husbani 




ral. Mrs Bums was undergoing the 


pains of 


h^ju 5 rb«n b de' L Tl\\'!l l !hVp!'C'la,n 




of our poet was burn, "rin, infant t 




received tue name of .Maxwell, n, not 




to a long life, lie has already bee 




inhabitant of the s lU ie grave with his c 


lebrated 


father. The four other children of our poet. 


ail sous (the eldest at that time t 




years of age) vet survive, and give e\ 




mise of prudence and virtue tttat ca 


. he ex- 


pected from their lender year*. The) 








Dumfries, and are enjoying the means 


of edu- 


catioa which the excellent schools of i 




afford : the teachers of which, in their 




to tile children of Burns, do theiusel 


es great 


honour. U:i this occasiou, the nam 


B of Mr 






biui'self a poet as weli as a man of scie 




Burns died in great poverty ; but t 


he inde- 


pendente of bis sp rit, and the txemp 


ary p.u- 


deuce of his wife, had preserved h 


m Irani 






prohl of about nine hundred pounds. 


Of this 


was' far' from extensive) and in the 


■■' 




furniture of his house, remained; and obliga- 


tions were found for two hundred 




advanced by him to the assistance of 




wnom he was united by ibe liea of blood 




more by thn,., of eslee n and affection. 


When 








ould not 




1 und-r- 




me Irom 


the KSOM « ns for some lime as low 


a, Ufly, 


























.pensions of absoiu.e want! Ye 


po.erly 




meanness. Neither chicanery ncr » 




ever appeared in his conduct. He carried h a 








himself 






reluctance every offer of friendly a* 




His printed poems had procured h 


in great 


tn- latter offsprings of his pen might Lave 






la- .ear 1765, the Euitor of a Loud 




paper, hign in its character for literal 




in Jepeiidsnee of sentiment, made a 


proposal 


to hint that he should furni,u lhem B 
















pt. Yet 








Jonnson 


w.ibh.s beautiful i : .ri;-, w.moui tVeorre-van., 


* The author of Si Guerdon's Well, 


a . 


aud ot A Tribute to the Me amg »j Uu 


r«s. 



DIAMOND CABIXET LIBRARY. 

id was obstinately refusing oil recompen: 



, which the justice and generosity of 
leuien » i, pressing upon him. 



dly present to 
protluced toe wo: 

j had been iuca 



hid no lo 


ger the power of expressing bis 


On the 


eatb of Burns, the inhabitants of 


Dumfries 




subscription 


for the support of his wife ana 


family; a 


d Mr Miller, Mr M'Murdo, Dr 


Maxwell, 


nd Mr Syme, gentlemen of the 


hrst resp.c 


abilit,, became trustees for the 


application 


of the money lo its proper objects. 






01 Scotland 


and of England also, particularly 




d Liverpool. By Ibis means a 




aised amounting lo seven hundred 




nd thus the widow and children 




i from immediate distress, and the 


most uiela 


choly of the forebodings of Burns 


happily dis 


appointed. It is (rue, ibis turn. 


iboiigu equ 


al to their present supporl, is in- 









public at large, in the promoting of whi 

ucThiu/to iendbis'as'sisianr.e. 6 

lurns, a, has already been mentioned, w 

rl« live feel len inches in height, and of 

d agility as , 



earl., 



irk, full oi 



igth. 

capacity. 



BURNS. -LIFE. 






On aBrst view, hL, physiugu. 
air of coarseness, minted, I 



e to himself, Hums never euforc 
aw it was willingly paid ; an 
ssible to the approaches pi pnd 












teoftheinsu. 

lialityo'ffortun 






died away under the influence of pity or self- 

a.'.'i,- .1 i 11. it,- ,,.. ■ . - ..■:.■_ v. :■- ■ ,'i'tl I" 

were often the offspring of u-u:;.. ran. feelings, 
widely different from the calm decisions of 



'eciin-the'chara! 



On no subject did he give a mo.e strikin-- 
roof of the strength of his t,,:,:. .standing, than 
n the correct estimate he formed of himself, 
le knew his own failings ; he predicted their 

ions earned him down the stream of error, 

-ct:_. in' his course. The fata'' ' ' 



lay ii 



t of fortitude, 
ich, by regulati 
rtions, may be s 



•rior faculty of lb 



s of his hea; 



1, by re 



ed. This influence was doabtless recipro- 

A Scottish Lai.;., accustomed to the L t = t 



iclared w 

.',«' - <:jf her feet as tha 
English Lady, familiarly i 
vera! of the "most dislingu 



equalled. The charm 



the restrictions of 01 



iiurish that lofty pride, 
less of prudence, and 



'Burns; and an when accompanied with the . 

ed characters of I It is observed by one who w: 
; editor, that in ! associate of Bums,* and who h 
trs, there was a j and explained the system of at 

his genius. No live and be happy in this world 
iociety of a man : being really existed, " continues 



h ike stamp of his under; 






penetrating ; 
objects arount 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

ch, while they inform tl 



The 


speculations 


if Xr Si. 


ellie ore r 


.,1 i, 


be cons 








th. j 


vve.e probably foui 


ded on s 








ng hesuppu* s, "Willi 








..I II 1:11. II, W 


iL ].. ii . | 






and penetrating," i 




tl in rtal 


1,1. . 


He is o 




ment of g 




p,r- 






.,, thin. 








lilt. :- Art 


there no n 




hy which the bappi 


e»s of on 






by oat, 




stilted ? 




wili 


li-f.ui, 












ihoiigh ii niaj at lirst 


be. is the 








in which 




rs ,f 


the understanding ar 










. 


ii.|.r.-ssioi 


s, and ktt 


■ [he 



'ihut the btnt i.t every man's mind should 
be followed in his education and in bis dea 

repeated, tut which cannt.i be admitted I 















that Utile is produced. Rut where in 








hand, the very r. rma of ll 




quenlly to be the rule of conduct. In t 








d, ! c; i „., l |. 1!l n;.n.:, ll .,i t! ,n,n,, : ,.lH 








that the passions also may be kept unc 
troi.» Hence the advantages, even ii 






ral point of view, of studies of a severe 


nature 


* Quinctilian discusses the importar 


i qnes 


lion, whether the bent of the individu 




nius should be followed in his ecuca 


'. ,. r, , 


j<cun-.'um rut quisque ineenii doceiitivs 





f that admits of very ■ 



tin ,r jui gu.i-i.t. lniug 

poet. Jul 'what pet 
lime by the lorce ol llii 
does not see that lion. 
till.d the rest of their 

ledge— the know I.. L": i 

palm of oratory, tten 1,; 
Demosthenes 









. It is only csteit- 
■fferentiy appli"-, 
tj,e, though pti- 



the reader's candour and judgment will supply. 
In supposing- that a gr-at poet might have 
made a great orator, the physical qualities 
necessary to oratory are presupp'osed. In sup- 
should have devoted himself to poetry,' and that 
numbers which by patience and attention may 



found sometimes, but not alwavi 
'lbe nature of the institutions o 

viduals who excelled in varions di 



The authority of Cicero may be appealed 1 
in favour of the close connection between tl 
poet and the orator. Est en im Jin itimus orato 
f>,ta, numerisadstncUor pau'o, verl.orrm a,.; 
in:,:!ia Ulterior, c/c. De Orator, lib. i. c. 1( 

if Cicero i..-.;. be ,;u..!:-d ::_- . - 
His attempts in verse, which are praised 1 
Plutarch, did not meet the approbation i 
Juvenal, or of many others. Cicero probablv 
did not take sufficient time to learn the art of 
the poet : but that he had the afflatus necessary 

the other hand, nothing is more clear, than 

mental qualities as an orator are included. It 
is said by Quiuctilian of Homer, (Jmnijas eM- 

i. 47. The study of Homer is therefore re- 

tance. Of the two sublime poets in 'our owl 



The identity, or at least the g 
of the talents necessary to exeelle 
oratory, painting, and war, wi 



LIFE. £ 

them into full exertion are rarer still. I 

safe and salutary occupations may be found 

™set\i° an^ornlmental arts remain" trAe cu 
rated, while the sciences remain to be stud 

F ie and instruction is. as has already b 
entioned, to strengthen the self-commai 



■xcluding the possibility of application to the 



e habits, and from bestowing I 
6 "ind "in'lhe ei 



life. It has been common for persons conscious 
of such talents, to look with a sort of disdain 
on other kinds of intellectual excellence, and 

absolved from these rules of prudence by 

too much disposed to abandon themselves to their 

But though men of genius are generally- 
lied. The unbidden splendours of imagination, 
may indeed at times irradiate the gloom which 
inactivity produces ; but such visions, though 
bright, are transient, and serve to cast the re. 
alif.es of life into deeper shade. In bestowing 
talents. Nature seems very generally to 



ertion, if he wou 
letter for him than sh 
tl, or adventures the 
ier to him than idlen 



i wretchedness, 
i the most pain- 
zardous. Hap- 



whosTown example will, however, far exceed 
in weight the authority of his precepts. 
" Abul Olo had so flourishing a reputation, 
that several persons of uncommon genius were 
ambitious of learning the art of poetry from so 
able an instructor. His most illustrious scho- 
lars were Feleki and Khakani, who were no 

thJnf..'r'tW>kill in every branch of 'pure Lie! 

nomy ; a striking proof that a su'blime poet 
mav become master of auv kind of learning 
which he chooses to profess; since a fine 
imagination, a lively wit, an easy and copious 
style, cannot possibly obstruct the acquisition 

labour.' 1 ' S,r \\'i Ua','"]' ,. c s^ Works, Vol. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 






ciaUj by the bi 

■njoTed \h"uln 

i 10 the lot of li 



ted villi new beauty H 



half doubt 



When, bailed round Citlia-rou's cruel sides, 
lie saw two Mills and double Thebes ascend. 

iv. I. 163. 

Such are the pleasures and the pains of Fn- 
sciisibilily, described by a genuine poet, with a 






t There are a ^reat number of 01 



, murals, and .happiness, of those 

The effects of wine and of op; u m ou the tem- 

iuve discussed in this' place at some length; 
. Lit hefouna the subject too ..mfesiional to U 
introduced with propriety. 'The uitliculty of 



:d by habit, is well known. J oh 



BURNS — LIFE. 



physically and morally, i 

injurious. Id. proportio 

. ,. ibe system (o 



strength of the body decays, the 
in proportion as tbe sensations ai 
gratified, Ibe sensibility increases 

tion. Actively, perseverance, i 
maud, become more and more dif 
great purposes of utility, patri 

imagination, die away in fruitles 
or in feeble efforts. 



apply t 



i, would beau 
,k. It is. indeed, 
not to allow our a 



d tbe" sym- 



pathy they are called upon to bestow. 






her periodical puo- 
Bgant pen of a ludy 



poet, should be unattended » 
that commonly spring up at 



gra 


phers, wh 


>, it is probable, m 


ay, without 


po,»-s = u,r 
















ti,.is ot :.; 


Burns. « The ins 




lie 








who hrst foun 


d bim, like the prop 


iet i-:hsha. 




his plougb"f has been tbe por 
















of genius have a da 






ary capaci 




of the Bri- 






a court of justice! It 




tried only by h 






pre 


e™eot;' 


God U fo I 'rbid h i a shou J lc 


'.''any'ti'.uV- 






ality of other people, 












!"r° 


ss 


rs past, may perhaps 


ju-l .." 


pre 


n.t.n- "to 


be public a few of those ideas 






ns 1 have had the 










(bat Ci'J-r i 


fur 


errors, I h 


ne of bis happy qua 


^ll\tlt^ : - 


1; 


,^Tthe be r 


the misfortune of Bu 


no S t' r „ e n P lyt 




re general 


o.is and to foreigu c'o 














contempor 


tries, that he has be 


n regarded 




a poet, an 


nothing but a poe 


. It must 

penetra-i 






ct due to the wrea 




by 




lan myself; and run 






ed of the 


lerit of a self-taught bard, de- 


to ' 


Lis own, 


Un te tha U t rS per'iod m of a 


c.iiign..al 






bad already biazed 


or lb. ill all 










";' 


hat even « 


ce of sentiment. B 


are'jlefded 






will perhaps be fou 




and 


1 X7-- 


less splendid, less 


le^/attrael 






al other writers have 






poetry wa 


s (I appeal to ail v, 


ho had the 






ing personally acqu 






) actually 


not his forte. If 








uccessfully to the bei« 


htsofPar- 








e Burns in 






he sorcery I would 








g conversation; tbe s, 


pontaneous 


eloquence of so 




unstudied 


poignancy of b 


nUiant repartee. H 


s personal 






ere perfectly correspo 




the 






form was 






tion energy itself; d 








however, of those gra 


ces, of that 














ot the op- 


por 




ix; but where, sue 






ist.b'le poi 






him 




s appearance and ma 


ine" were 


t 


•' Tbe Po 


tic genius of my cou 


ntry found 






het.c bard Elijah di 


Elisha— 




re Ploutrh ; 










.fade me^ng AeTove 1 








and rural pleasures o 










Burn:-' 


Pre 






nd Gadie. 


met 


of die Caledonian HunU 





.DIAMOND CAIiI.NET LIBRARY, 
never failed to deli 

m:il -r..., 






I'Mimr, un-icip ional,lj t.'on. lie wu candid 

. Mart ol bis judgment, i 111, native yZurtr nev 

d lead bim to the iudulgi . the value of a 

J acute, but often unaccompanied I... uj-i-nhaucrd tenfold I 

and. I he supprewio 

ch and full pointed In n mot, from the : Bit mind, organized i 

injuring it» object, the »a^;e of Zurich more acute operation t 



for being rather 



; if so, tin.i would have depreased it into huiniliiv, 
tiiliourlv | and equally superior to tin- encroachments "I 



a heart that ackuowleilgi 

ced bevoud the sra=p of p 

' '. '.j" uith'th 
. . II - po = = iou= r 



rlerei.ee, or who* resentment could be U ,11 be rcud.lv traced 
.dered «iiu contempt. In tbu it sbou.d | to the pub;., as soon a 



Iliem, speak sufficiently fur their 
ad th-y fallen from a hand mo. 
e ranks of society than that of 
had perhaps bestowed as unusui 
as even in the humbler shade of 
tion from whence they really 



iyrshire, e at P a°sm all form near ih'c!,.!L , 
and our poet', e.de=t son, (a Ld of nine yet 
of age, »Ii.«ki disposition, already pro 
him to be the luiinMM ul his tattler s talents 

i no classical edu- 
ivith the Greek and 

an be e i.!dLpmably 



'« That Euros 
Roman authors 



a'.e pre 






and most favourite put 
itedly seem he was mo: 

but I really believe h; 
aided Utile, if any, fai 



si :.-. lis - - i'. ..;.'. 

happiness of description, the frolic spirit ol 

beauty always taught hitn to pour forth hi: 

touches of nature ? And where is the tu^-'c 
moralist who will persuade us so far to • dull 



>r that 






* This very respectable and verv superioi 
au is now removed to Dumfriessriire. lit 
nts lands on the estate of Clo=eburn, and is a 
nant of the venerable Ur .Monteith. 



; the pebLle 
nd it. The 

of desires, 



decorums of tl 
seen to move h; 

Icaunr^acifu'ie.-ce, that 
patible: besides, the IV, 
shade over sup. rior meri 






pa-si. ...s "which u^re the only si.urje' n'f }-";, 
frequent errors, Burns makes his own a.- !e-s 






thv pulse's li'.'.<ld:-nii!£- rl-iv 
s- nd thee Pleasure's deviou 
d by Fancy |s meteor ray, 



'• T have already transgressed far beyond the 
inds I had pr'orjosed to myself, on first 
nmitting to paper these sketches, which 

Mil the leading features of Burns's mind and 



fame, where Seotlan 
memory with deligl 



iu'iu'r.anc-s" tV'al warm.!', of' fancy and colour- 
ing, in which he so eminently excelled. 

the public prints, even since the idea of send- 
ing these thither was formed. I rind private 

animosities are 11..1 y et sui-ided, and env. has 

fame will be at.o.vd to iluri.s's reputation, 
which he wi.l be found to hay e merited by the 
candid of his countrymen; and where a kin- 
dreuUsum is found that has been taught -o 
glow with, the iires that animated Burns, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



ii, 10 the tribu 



s account of the life and personal 

■\ should le made into Ills liur.ni 



iginirv ; In- j ■ .ui», ii- well a- Ins lulers. may 
c considered as the illusions, of bis sbmIiI.;), 



. [.Iical.li-. w 
be port. 

.on , i l.is tinh, and ol 



■ 




- 


. and susceptible of 


poetical 










ii. the l.leof a 




-Mho takes no 




disguise tbe low 






.. 01 










cumstanees a 




-'■- 


t, which « 


title or 




I.e. a 


m 




would have end 


a>oured 






Ihe 




e rudeness and 








„ the 1 










,'; 






yhich 






f the poems are 




bus In. 


, ol 






f or harmony of 






T:\ 


nd 


Lb. 


deed. 10 an Lnglish ear, 
'I be greater [art oi bis 
















»L, 






ure, if not twin 


Eligible 










to* 1 "hot aim 


still ad. 




re or 


.'- 


tot 




='"") 



'ihese singularities 
er of the poet, who 
with a simplicity 

n alarms delicacy, 

pressiun is perhaps 



even on tbe lowest subjects, expresi 
are highly interesting. 'Ihe scenery 



relates, have the impression of nature and 
truth. His humour, though wild and unbri- 
dled, is irresistillv an, using, and is sometimes 
heightened in Us effects Ly the introduction of 

humour so happily unites. Nor is this the ex- 
tent ol his power. 'Ihe leader, as he examines 
farther, discovers that the poet is not conlined 
to the descriptive, the humorous, or the pathe- 
tic: he is found, as occasion oilers, to rise 

Every where he appears de»oid of unifier, 
perlorming what be attempts wilh little appa- 
rent effort ; and impressing on the offspring of 
hit fancy the htawp ../ I.n niio'ti t.'oiidiHe. The 
reader, capable of forming a just estimate of 
poetical talents, discovers in these circumstan- 
ces marts of uncommon genius, and is willi:,;; 

claim to originality. 'J bis lust point we shall 



classical education, or of any degree ..I acijuaii,- 

onginal tress, lias appeared in the history ol 
bis life. He ucnuin n, indeed, some knowledge 
ol the French lontuaee, but it does not apptar 
that he was ever much conversant in French 
literature, nor is there in) evidence of his lay- 
ing derived any of bis poetical stories from llj.t 
.' the 1 nglish classics he became 

the efl.cls of ibis ucipiainlunce are cbser'vnLie 
in Lis laiier productions , Lul the character and 
style ol his poetry were (orn.ed very early, and 

can le said to have had one, is to le SOOgbt lor 
in ibe works of the poets who have written in 
the Scottish dialed - in ihe works of such of 
them, more especially, as are familiar to the 
peasantry of Scotland. Some observations on 
these ma'y form a proper introduction to a n ore 
particular elainii.alion of the poetry of Burns. 

indeed very recent and very imperfect. It 
would have been imprudent for him to have 
entered on this subject at all, but for the kind- 
ness of Mr Kamsay of Ocbtertyre, whose atsw- 



jt .seem to be satisfactorily ex- 



BURNS LIFE. 



g fur the torpor of Scottis] 



illilllle 


ned away the 










%Z 


e iMiirl^h itiiuT 




d from the est 



At the death of James the Fifth, in 1542, 
the language of Scotland was in a flourishing 

condition, wai.l.ng o:.i\ writers in prose equ.d 









Lati 
















1 of J 






xth to 




"l.i. j. 




\ h 




It ma 


j eas 


''l In 


,.,iag, 


7 


that 


s lf 




en in 

igue, 


as'wa'- 


dE 


by th 




\-! 


f hit, 


™ 




Italy 


hew 




lave 1 




1"' 










uage which 








ted oth 






-n 'J'," 












viii.pl.. 




5 


dgive 


' the 


rl 


}thel 


II1HK1L 


e 


elf. T 


of 


!. 




. Th 


uula 


rl 






the 1.1, 


? d 



En^sh ?! ro h nlncia.!on n 



preva.led to a great degree, they u.sda.ned to 
study the ntcet.es of the English tongue, 
though of so much easier_acq.uis.tion than a 

of Hawthornden, the only Scots.... n wi... 

They siudie'd the language of England, ami 
composed in it with precision and elegance. 
They were however the last of their country- 

;.. Unit century. The ...uses o. .-.. oi .ami '-i, nk 
into silence, and did not again raise .heir voices 
for a per.od of eighty years. 

iu «i.tii causes are we to attribute this ex. 
tre.ue depression among a people coninmalneh 

e.pial to account for the e'lire't. l.i i'.,'i"!;.ud, 



'e. s. The Authors of the Ddicice Puctarum 



, 1715. The nations being i.nally incorpo- 
.ted, it was clearly seen that their tongues 



eared, who studied the English classics, and 
nitated their beauties, in the same manner 
s they studied the classics cf Greece and 
tome. They had admirable models of com- 
osition lately presented to them by the 

lrly in the periodical papers published Ly 

_hich "irculated widely through Scotland, and 
ifluseu every where a taste for purity of style 

.t length, the Scottish writers succeeded in 



a of their Scot- 



nrolled on the Ii 



10 the English thro, 
rether, made the 



lil.NET LIBRARY. 
i- I glory and ambilio 



II; • dill' .'-ill .li .1 CI. ol III. .- ■■ ml. noli lauguns ■■ 

If this conjecture be true, the Scottish mo-ic 

more immediately of a Highland 

ur sin, nod ihe Lowland times, though now of 



have been long in possest ion of a 

song, and ballads composed in I 

I .iing to their native u 

su j-ct. ol these compositions wi 



n a tickle lover. 

of hope breaks through, and dispels ilie deep 
and settled gloom winch characterizes the 
..we-iest of the lli»!iliiiiu luriue*. or voc.il airs. 



like; SUch us the Huh 
Battle oy II 



.;, il'--; ,:... 

:...eilj »r. 



ever genuiliM descripl mis .1 llie manner. ;;l „n 

! i op e in heir hours 

ui iii, rlh and lesiiv.iv, ihoosh in loir portraits 

tome objects are Draught into open view, which 



la.. J breathed in sofier accent-. 'In ..... 

itant of real evidenci reepectiog ibe history of 

. tail Ranuaj of Ueburivre, -re- 

be disposed to think, thai ill in 

word! after the union of the crowns. The in 
habitant, of the border., who bid formerly 
been wan - husbandmen 

were transformed into real she,.. 
their eircum-iaii.e,, and satis 
lot. Some sparks of that spirit of chivalry 

remained sufficient to inspire elevation of sen- 
timent and gallantry toward, the fair sex. The 
familiarity and kindness which bad long sub- 
sisted between the genirv and the peasantry, 
could not all at once be obliterated, and this 



atfecled simplicity and t. 
urged, most likely to sol'tei 



With un- 



r- livelj a 



They «. ' 



is those rural poets sung for a 
which, Mke the words of tl 




„..'at change, ..„.» 

...g-wriliug. though we . 
it;.- til- st'-[»s (.1 this eh. ins-' , an.-l t'el 
tees ad in red in Queen .Mary's lime 






iese conjectures are highly ingenious, 
se and tranquillity d 



leeply agu 



iong the Scottish i 
union of the two ci 

d L. ,u: CI 



le Banks of the Tweed, 



»r subjects for popular poetry. Love, 
:h haJ formerly held a divided sway witu 



ll,,.l song, of the last 'ceiHUr,. tut tl 

, fcriroci »/ a tetter from Mr Ramu.1, 
Ocklerlyre to Ole Editor, fieofc II I79U. I 
tbe Bee, Vol. II. p. 201, is a eotnmunica ic 

of .Mr Ramsay, under the signature of - 1 li; 

nore at larse. In that paper he give- ...- rei 
ons for questioning the am , 
be Celebrated S^'J. t. ail songs. 



r 

iii-r'liic- re* 



BURNS — I.IFE. 

i succeeded freedom 



It is not unreasonable to suppose, that the j the gol 
peace and secun'y derived from the Revolu- | intellij 
tion, and the Union, produced a favourable | by per; 



aspects, Ramsay had advantages n 
id by poets writing in the Scottish dii 



Soon after this appeared Allan Ramsay, tlie spoken by persons of fashion. But till the 
Anuandale, in a small ham'k-t i.;."ii.;- b.'.nki" ,.f 1 , ri : language. It is true, the English mo'. 



e-'^^VuiTp 
appeal 



the gay, and ll 



i Ediul 






iugoftbe presei 
- -* nn appre 

Dr fifteen years of age. By 
ne aequ.rea notice for 1 
md his talent for the 

ifession for 



of tl 



IKx 



a volume of l 
ls favonrablv 
collection of \ 
! title of the 



d with Mr Spittal, 
a man of fashion, 
lers of the Union 
la seat. His pro- 
differed as much 

ames Street. °Had 
lament of our own. 



As in the Ever-Green he made some r 
ancient poems, he probably used still gre; 

* See Campbell's History of Poetry in 8 
lam', p. 1S5. 

t 'i he father of Mr Ramsay was, it is s= 
a workman in the lead-mines of the Earl 
Hopetouu, at Lead hills. The workmen 



I have nol 
beofave, 



e year 1731, Robert Crawford of Auehi- 
mes, wrote the modern song of Tmedtide.i 
lich has been so much admired. In 1743, 
r Gilbert Elliot, the first of cur lawyers who 
both spoke and wrote English eiegantly, com- 
posed, in the character of a love-sick swain, a 
beautiful song. I epiunins, M; f A: ■ ;> ' .• ? > vhd, 

uv.i, l!i.. 1-V.rb.,, with Ronabl lntird. 
And about twelve years afterwards, the sister 
of Sir Gilbert v, r. le the »Ml v,ords to the 
tune of the Fioverf of the Forest :\\ and sup- 
posed to allude to the battle of Flowden. In 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY 

b parts allegorical, a n 



music. ■• 1 or many years, "says Xr ltau,s,,y, 

of the higher" and mmdle order of I be people, 
as Hell as of ihe peasantry ; and though a tasti 
for Italian music has interfered wilb thi 
amusement, it is still verj prevalent Betweei 
forty and fifty years ago, the common peop! 
were not only exceedingly fond <.t songs am 
Lallads, but of metrical history. O.t. n hove I 
•nofyc 






ing or r. 



:e ond Jlruce against the >< m 
ran. Lord Hailcs nas wont to call lilii 
Horry their CiWr, he being their great fa\ou 
ite next the Scriptures. When, therefore, one 
in the rale of lib lelt the lirst emotion of ge. 
nius, be Minted not models eui generie. Rut 
though the seeds of poetry Here scattered will 
a plentiful hand among the :scolti-.h peasantry, 
the product Has probably like* that of pears ant 
apples— of a thousand that sprung up, niiit 
hunured and fifty ore so bad as to set the teeth 






e passable uud 



useful; and the rest of on exquL ._ _ 
Allan Ramsay and Burns are urilalir.ge of thi 
last description. 'Ihey had the example of the 
elder Scottish poets; they net 
the aid of the best English writ< 



poems, the 


principal of 


which is the Get 




Shepherd, k 
the peasant!- 




versallv read an.o 
ry, and" have in so 


ig 


ee.-re-- ,t.p-r 










recorded by 


Rarbour and Bli 




Harry, 'b" 




icquainted with all 


ol 


these. He 1 


ad also Lelo 




of 




the Scottish dialect, which ha 




been produce 




tunes, and of whi 


:h 


it will bene 


essary to giv 


e a short account 




Iergus=on 








.-.e.rpnwert 




a liberal education 






, however, w 


hich in Scotland i 





plies no very high rank. 


n society. From a well 


Hrillen auu appi.r.nily i 


mm mi'; account of his 


Hie, we learn that he 


pent six years at the 


schools of Edinburgh an 






'm &£dH 




destined for the Scottis 






iod, he renounced ll.al 


intention, and at l.dinl 


Igh entered the ull.ee 










attorneys. Ferguson 1 


.m sensibility ot inii.il, 






society of Ihe most ultra 


lite kind, 'lb such a 


into which he was led. impaired his feeble 


constilulion, and he su 


k um,er .hem in the 


month of October, 177 


1, in his 23d or 2-lth 


year. Burns Has n..t 


acquainted with the 


l'.g!.'n to wr'i.e'p.l'l'iTj . 


!'ii "when he'lii-l"'".,' 




lic.uUsts. "lili. while 




Irvine, meeting wilb 


«!■!».«'. Hcvlthh r, 




he "strung his lyre an 


w with eu.u nling .i- 


gour. " 'louched by the sympathy originating 


in kindred genius, and 


.., Ihe forebodings of 


similar fortune, Burn 


regarded Fcriussoi. 








already been un nlioned , 












From this account o 




known to Hums, tho- 




with l h. in will see lb 


, are chiefly humor- 


(us or puthetic: and l 




these descriptions most i 






mi will, his predeces- 


sors under tach of thes 


■ points of view, and 


close our examination H 


th a few general oL- 


It has frequently b> ■■ n 


bserved, that Scotland 




lively speaking, tew 










those nho hate continm 




country, and hate conln 


d th.-msel-.es to cem- 








sy explanation. 'Ihe 










i or duelling on subjects 






e excelled. It would 




e ciulect of Scotland 












. «f dri.l,i' KM: ',., 


the Grene was written by James the First , of 


* In the Supplement 


to the Encyclopedia 


Brilamnca. See also, C 


!.'■:, eci/rllt/i 


to Ow HUiory offoelry l 


i Scotland, p. 2bb. 


t Notwithstanding the 


evidence produced on 


this subject by ..,r T.lier 


ihe Editor acknow- 


ledges his being somen h 




point. Sir David Dairy 


mp e inclines to the 




ten by his successor 


James the Fifth. The 


e are oiflicult.es at- 




also. But on the 


subject of Scottish Antiqu 


ties the Editor is an 


incompetent judge. 





Scotland, this accomplished monarch 
had received an English education unci 
Direction of Henry the Fourth, and wh 



of the 


Grene 


w 






rinted 












i the 










ad( 


ed by 














i of Rii 
















II 






n the 1 


route,"' 




a in r 


"aV' 




afiray. 














d the re 




wal 




the ru 


the humours of 






T 


y wedd 


r.-;.ecl; 


• - 


* l 


;;;, 


ml 




Of the 


y at tl 







P 


■Hod," 



belli, lied, have been found to be susceptible of 
an amusing and interesting species of poetry; 
and it must appear not a little curious, thai the 
single nation of modern Europe which pos- 

The two additional cantos to Christis Kirk 
of the Grene, written by Ramsay, though ob- 
jectionable in point of delicacy, are among the 



'■-:■ " 



li of n 



;for 



In his Gentle Shepherd, the character, are ue- 



ana the Miller's Wife, though somewhat licen- 
o^PrioTo/ll Fontaine. "lJuTwhen "he'at- 

interesting," and seldom even reaches mediocri. 

approbation. Though Fergu,sou had higher 



! LIFE. 65 

genius was not of the highest order; nor did 

hi, learning, which w .1, i oi,,iuerable, improve 
his genius. His poems written in pure Eng- 

h,h, in which he often follow, classical mo- 
del,, though superior to (he English poem, of 

those composed in the Scottish dialect he is 
often very successful. He was, in general, 

of his life in Edinburgh, and wrote for his 

-i; ito.n, his Scottish poems are chiefly found- 
ed on the incidents of a town life, which, 
though they are not susceptible of humour, do 
not admit of those delineations of scenery and 
manners, which vivify the rural poetry of 
Ramsay, and which ,o agreeai ly amuse the 
fii.cy and interest the hear:. The town ec- 

ilcni, an- however faithful to nature, and 
often distinguished by a very happy vein of 
humour. His poem* cntill-d The Daft Days, 
The Kim- s Bidh-Mit in Edinburgh, Leila 
Races, and The Halloii Fair, will jusiifv t!,., 
character. In these, particularly in the last, 
he imitated Chrttlis Air;; ,./ jie Grene, as 
Bamsaj had done before him. His Address to 
l':e Tron-kirk Bell is an exquisite piece of hu- 
mour, which burns ha, scare. 1>, excelled. In 
appreciating the genius of Fergusson, it ought 
to be recollected, that his poems are the care- 
less effusions of an irregular though amiable 
young man, who wrote for the periodical pa- 
per, of the day, and who died in early youth. 

cum, lane-, , f to, t„i. e, he would probably have 
risen to much higher reputation. He might 

professed pastorals on the established Sicilian 
model, are stale and uninteresting, The Far- 

Scoltish pastoial, i, the happiest of all his 

of the 'cotters SaTunmi/ Ni^ht. Vergus'on! 
and more especially Burns, have shown, that 

Scotland,'' of the present* tiniest are* as we'll 

or of the Tul\i\'Vi'\.nn>:t~~'Kirk~' X "f~7<Le 

The'humour of Burns is of a richer vein than 
that of Ramsay or Ferguson, both of whom, 

their flame, than to servile imitation." His 

der. ~A superiority of'this kind is essential to 
every -pedes of poetical excellence. In one of 

cateTlesLiTot *■' 

,es of society, by showing that their superiors 

selves ; and this he chooses to execute in the 
form of a dialogue between two dogs. He in- 

ii 1 r ,,it ikeis. The 





DIAMOND CA 


B1NET I4BBAEY. 




His locked, lette 
li-bred though he 


is, he is however full of 


| the humour of Bur 
[form. The livelin 
qnentlj impel, him 


s appears in so simple a 

o introduce into subjects ■/. 
f tenderness or of pit) | 
admits, lie is sometimes 
e higher powers of iuia?i- 



Weei clad wi' coat o' glossy black ; 
His eawcie tail, wi' upward curl. 
Hung oer ll >> hurdies wV a swirl. " 


Never wer 
led. Their 
moralize, ar 

happiness; 


e twa dogs so eiqui-itely 
gambols, before ttiey *.t 
e described with an equal t 



"That merry day the year bejins, 
The nappy reeks »i' mantling reau 
The luntin pipe, and sneesbin' uiill 



from bis superior sagacity, as from bis bein< 
more than any other, the friend and associa 
of man. Tbe dogs of Burns, excepting i 
their talent for moralizing, are dowimgl 
dogs ; and nnt like the horse, of Swift, or tt 
Hind and Panther of Dry den, men in ll 

heightens the humour of the dialogue, Th 
"twa dogs" are constantly kept before 01 



played in its composition ; the ha| 



* When this poem 

lohad not an opporl 
th a simple gentle. 
le to portray tne chi 
ch accuracy. And wb 
at he had probably beet 



ac'ter of bie-h-life wil 



\V..rd* of 
Vur-lVa 
Maz-.-ie, a 



is stimulating effecu oil the blacksmith work- 
ng at his fo ge : 

"Naemercv, then, for airn or «!eel ; 
The brawr.ie, batnie, ploughman el.iel. 
Brings hard owre-hip, wi' sturily wheel, 



On another occa-ion.f choosing to t 
whisky above wine, he inlroduces acompai 

torn toe vine furnishes their beiernge. 



ion of the poet. He goci 



aught o' breathing lei 



Again, however, he sinks into humour, and 
tugbable, but most irreverent apostrophe : 



The Author's Earnest Cry and Prayer U 
the Scotch Representative* in Parliament. 
* Of whisky. 



BURNS LIFE. 



" Scotland, my auld, respected mither : 

Till where you sit, on craps o' heather, 

Freedom and Whisky sang thegiiber, 
Tak' affjourarani!" 

Of this union of humour, with the bigl 

powers of iinazinaliuii. instances inav be tot 
in the poem entitled Death and Dr Hornbo 



the De'il, one o 

lions. After reproaching tbi 

of Scottish superstitions, and r 
- high strain of poetry; he coi 



. of the . 



Of his 



dress 



le following v 

«' But, fare < 
O wad ye! 



Humour and tenderness are here so happily 

preponderates. 

Fergusson wrote a dialogue between the 
Cimu-uv and the Plainstones* of Ed,!,: urzh. 
This probably suzgested to Burns his iti.ilozue 
between the Old and New Bridge over the 
river Ayr. 'Hie nature of such subjects requires 
that they shall be treated humorously, and 
Fergusson has attempted nothing beyond this. 
Though the Causeway and the Plabubma talk 
together, no attempt is made to per»,.nit\ Mi- 



nis bed in the town of Ayr. and wand, 
alone in the darkness and solitude of a 
night, to the mouth of the river, wl 

ing sound of the influx of the tide, 
after midnight. The Dungeon.doc] 



'< The chilly frost, bene 



In this situation, the listening bard hears the 
" clanging sugh" of wings movinz thr, u_b 
the air, and speedily he perceives two beings, 
reared, the one on the Old, the other on the 
New Bridge, whose form and attire he 



1 they preside, and afterwe 



Ssi 



" all before their sight 

A» n the giitirrtt.z stream they featly danced; 



While arts of minstrelsy among tl 



Next follow a number of other allegorical 
Rural Joy, Plenty, Hospitality, and Courage. 
" Benevolence, with mild benignant air, 

Learning and Worth in equal men-un - in,'." ' 



The brokenlron instrument of Death ; 
At sight of whom our Sprites forgat their kind- 
displays various and powerful talents, and 
may serve to illustrate the senilis of Burns. In 
particular, it atlnrds a -tiikinz instance of his 
being carried beyond his original purpose by 



rs of ii 









a high dezree the powers of his 
in. During the whole dialogue thi 



wrath of the Genii of the Brigs of Ayr 



different parts of 
i incongruity that 
only to regret tlia 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 






- Ha 



icards the South. It was not necesban li 
Burns togi»e a description of this stream, lit 

tenth not merely what the occasion rcquirei 
but what it admitted; and the temptation i 
describe so beautiful a natural object by moot 

•• Why In, owre a linn the bornie plajs, 
As through the glen it wimplet ; 

W hjles round the rockj scaur it strays : 
Vr'hyles in a w.elil uimplel ; 

Wlnles glitter 'u to the i. 



to understand the Scottish dialect 
Will ■lion this to be one of the finest instances 
of description w h eh the records of poetry af- 
ford — 'i hough of a raj difierent nature, it 
may be compared, in point of excellence, with 

the rains of winter, Lurstint: thr.jucii the 
streighls that conhne its torrent, ••boiling, 

when. i. ir. loaming, and tl.unueriiig along, "t 

r.ira, po-try of a serious nature, J... 



be poem is one i 



r comic. Be 
the happiest 



u Ireland it is still celebrated. It is not 
T See XhmDMiu'a '•'. 



it produced. To ex 



muse, is an exquisite painting : 

" There, lnnely, by the ingle-cheek, 
1 sat Md eyed tin spewing reek, 

'J hat null, e.ay bigg.!.'; 

About the riggia. " 

of an air al being mil. n mansion of this kind 

required the powers of llurus-he, however, 
succeeds. Coila entire, and lier countenance, 
attitude, and dress, unlike those of other spir- 
itual beings, are distinctly portrayed. To the 
painting on her mantle, on when is depicted 
the most striking scenery, as well as the most 
oi.liiitruisl.ed characters^ il his nariie country, 
Mine exceptions ma-, be made. The mantle of 
Coiln, like the cup of 'I byrsis, J and the shield 

. ■■■ . ,'..;i . ... t!,.->.... .]■ - 

:',..' ' .... '-'.' I: 

ualiy introduced, that he might include oljects 



imis of ' °be 'tngiish mule. 'll,e concludia? 






Inch he l 



" And Ktar thou thit-hbe solemn said, 

The polish d leases, and berries red, 

Did rustling play ; 

And, like a passing thought, she tied 
lit light away. " 






~ See the £rst Jdyllium of Theocr 



BURNS LIFE. 



'lhe poem entitled Man v::y ii.ua u „ „ r'u, 
ullords an instance of thU kind, and Tlw Win- 
ter Nighi is of the same description. The 

last is highly characteristic, Loth ot the te.n- 

iTbe-i^'wilh'a description^' a dreadful'storm 
on a° night in winter. The poet represents 
himself as lying ... bed and listening to its 
howling. In this situation, he naturally turn , 
Ins thoughts to the our in * fall.,, una the 

proceeds in the following: 

" Ilk happing bird— wee helpless thing ! 
Delighted me to hear thee sing, * 
Whare wilt thou cow 'r thy cluttering wing. 



He pur-ues this train of reflection t! 






Cutter's Saturday Nigkl is perhaps entuied to 

gusson evidently suggested the plan of this 
poem, as has been already men. ion- d ; but after 

ters and manners happily portrayed, and ex- 
* Ourie, eut-lying. Ourie Cattle, Cattle 



the imagination. The Farmer's Jut,!,.- te-in- 



The waefu' 

The '•Gttidame " is next introduced as 

fitches and ghosts." 'lhe poet exclaims, 

' O mock na this, my friends I hut rather 

Wi'eild our idle fam 



' bairn 



The mind's aye craaVeJ when the g- 



g day. 



wife follow 



By degrees the oil in the cruise begins to fail ; 
the hre runs low: sleep steals on ha, ru>tic 
group j and they n.oie off to enjoy their peace- 
ful slumbers. The poet concludes by bellow- 
ing hi. uless.ng on the "husbandman and all 



Night. 

The cottager returning from his labours, has 

hfs farTor' to '. "JnT^Thl 



ng scenes that more strongly i. 



•nts of the courtship o, 

la..ces°of the most i. ne- 
'e most happily dcline.it- 
igal supper, the repre. 



the worship of God, is a picture t 
Ij affecting of any which the ru 
ever presented to the view. Bun 
ably adapted to this delineation, 
of geuius he was of the temperai 
tion, and the powers of memory i 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 
Before we concl 



nandde 



- 

and rises at 
sublimi 



;sed." The nobl< 



lern poetry has 

:ludes, correspond with the re 
In no age or country have the pastoral 
Jreathed such elevated accents, if the I 
>f Pope be excepted, w hich is indeed a p 
n form only. It is to be regretted 



n other 






lodu of the Scottish peasantry would hav 
piy supplied. Such poetry is not to be est 
••■: bv Hie de?ree of pleasure which it bestows; 
:i sink, deeply into the heart, and is calculated, 
tar beyond any other human means, for giving 
permanence to the scenes and the charact 
»> exquisitely describes, f 






will recollect that 
ler. beep. 28. 






found among the pipers i.l Bums, addres- 

different parts of Britai 

cal eniitle from Ml Telford o! .•Shrewsbury, of 
superior m. rit. It was written in the Dialect 
at Scotland (of which country .Mr Telford is a 
native), and in the versilicalion generally em- 
ployed bt our poet himself. Its object is to 
recommend to iiim other suljects of a serious 
nature similar to that ot the CoUcr't Saturday 
-\ reAl i 



enforced by example. 


It would 






of this putm. which he 


hope, will 





ue. Burns! thy happy style, 


■ 1 










Recall the u;,, 


rVfc 


n tenner jovs, with pleasing smile, 




Bless d my young ways. 


1 se* 


my fond companions rise, 






1 see 








1 






its roaring lioods.* 


N 


istant Swiss wi:h warmer glow, 



f the Elk in I 



hes stronger grow, 
Than still have mine, 

tient mount t I go. 
With songs of thine. 



When up tb 



O happy Bard ! thy generous flame 
Was given 10 raise thy country's fame, 
For this thy charming numbers came, 

lhy matchless lavs; 



\-\iih holy air. 
And sing the course the pious choose, 
■With all thy care. 

How with religious awe impress'd, 
'1 hey open lay the guiltless breast, 

All due prepare, 
The symbols of eternal rest 

Devout to share. }. 






And gives a 



Vs IJ , 



Begui 
^uit'the'daj. 

How placed along the 



And faith, and hope, and joy afford. 
And boundless loi 

O'er this, with warm seraphic glow, 
Celestial beings, pleased, bow, 
And, wbisper'd, hear the holy vow, 

'.Mid grateful 'ears 
And mark, amid such scenes below , 



f By turns in pious ta,k the] shai 
With heavy hearts tb 






I 



A beautiful lilt 

of Shrewsbury casth 
Pulteney, Bart. 

"" * Sacrament, generally administered il 
ry parishes of Scotland in theopeu sir. 



a seat of Sir William 



ueraL 



BURNS.— LIFE. 



In Ihe cold wind their grey locks wn 
Their brother's body 'mongst the lave 







arly 


les-ons t 


nfrht. 




'T 


uth'sple 








itght) 






in i 


ntainted 










Thesh 






Who ten. 






..Iv h« 


'Rht, 








Feels h 


.lyjoj 




T , 


roght on e 


arth 


so lovely 


known 




On 


-v.L.Uth 




and far 






Hi 


guileless 




all naked 
Before 


hSGo 




Su 


eh prayer 




v,. ■'..-,,. 11 
And bit 


ss'da 





O tell ! with what a heartfelt joy, 
The parent eyes the virtuous boy ; 
And ail his constant, kind employ, 
Is how to give 
The best of lear he can enjoy, 

The parish-school, its curious site, 
The master who can clear indite, 
And lead him on to count and write, 
Demand thy care 
Nor pass the ploughman's school at 



Nor yet the tenty curious lad, 
Who o'er the ingle hings his head, 
And begs o' neighbours' books to read ; 

Thy country's sons, who far are spread, 



and Annandale, that a light pri 
; night every funeral, marking tl 



uence of which, some observations have 
Iready been offered. We may hazard a few 

Of the historic or heroic ballads of Scot- 



a this s 


ore terrible, as we 


j° n ; 


of poe 




ntlv 




d. The Scottish s 





>e the differs 
rried life. B 
1 surpas.ed h 



Or may be, Burns, thy thrilling pa?e 
May a' their virtuous thoughts e&2 ■.:-■ 
Wiiil.- plajfal youth and placid age 



lire s own pure emotions raise ; 

i still the dear romantic blaze 

Of purest love, 

! still each fond attachment glow, 

r woods, o'er streams, o'er hills ..: -n 

, rugged rocks s fJ e ^"£°J^ s 



Thy patriot na 
venal tribes decay, 

Thy works sha 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



generally, the incidents are referred to particu- 
lar scenery. This last circumstance may be 
considered as a distinguishing feature of the 
Scottish songs, and on it a considerable pari ol 



rticular aspect. Neither 
brated ode of Sappho, the 



in Che poetry of Greece or Rome, or perhaps of 
any other nation. Mr.;iy of the love tongs of 
Scotland describe sce/ies of rural courtship ; 
many may be considered at invocations from 
10 their mistr—-. -. Or 






., the 



■pot d< 



interviews being particular zed. 'llie lovers 
perhaps meet at the BuiA aboon Tratpuir, or 
on the Bankt of Ellrick ; the nymph- are in. 
voked to wander among the wild* of Rodin or 
Vtt icoorft of limrmzy. Nor it the «pot mere- 
ly p<iinted out ; lh- scenery is often described as 



lialojuet. between husband* and the 
ich form <.:,- u j t« if the Scottif 
! almost all ludicrous and salines 
>' comets lnc lady is generally vi< 



t One cr two «am P l 
aervation. A Scottish song, wrilte 
hundred years ago, begins thus : — 



Come wading barefoot 

Ml heart g.ew light, I r: 

My arm, about ber id. 

And kiss'd and clasp:u It 

relate the language he em 



ut pictura pnesh, is faithfully ob- 
intpulse of nature and sensibility 



by the powers of poetry or of 
le birds of a ruder condition of 

lusea, the easy access they ob- 
irt. Generalization is the vice 
b learning orerpowera their go- 



greatly to the interest they excite, nlso shows 
that they have originated among n people III 
the earlier singes of society. Where this form 

of composition nppeurs in songs of h modern 



■.sed by a lover 

*of a beautiful l 
actually seen, 



•How blithe e« 
My swain con, 



along l he approaches n 
leaps the brook, and Hie 

! neenerj bee 



mer's evening, by tl 
J which all of us c; 



•O the broom, the bnnnie, bon 
The broom of ibe Cuwden-kn 



■ e and U nMr« e - : "! r 
o her arms. ' In 

endeared to the 

nto the following 



ll spot of this happy int'T- 



ramatic f.rm of writing charac. 
Kluctions of an early, or, what 

e illustrated by a reference to 



mer. The form of dialogue is ad.-pieu in 
old Scottish ballads, even in nairation, 
eneier the .i'uation described becomes inter. 

effect, of which an instance nraj L* given 
m the ballad of Edom v' Gord n, a comno- 



BURNS LIFE. 



The Scottish song are of very unequal poet- 
the different parts of the same song. Those 



high power: rMchhideeddo 

s°tLn?' 1 TheaniL a ce\f'the'wTds' e oVthe Scot 



e s 


euery" 


of Scotland 


con 


Tibutes 


o the 




effect. 




n th 




merely 








asimpa 






orks of 


man some portion 


of the du 




v of 




rks of nature 


. If 


from on 




erfec 


t espe 


itnce of the 






judge 






nhdence re 




g the 't 






tfthis 




re of 


all olhe 


rs the 


jej\ 




die. In the 
doubt suffer 


chang 


[f j^J" 


ruage 




n of sentime 


it ant 


of musi 


3 wil 



;uccessful. His habitual ii 

harmony of numbers, arising probably fi 

formed, were faults likely to appear to re 
advantage in this species of composition, t 

the strength 'of his imagiuation, and the e 



: of bis 



within 



Units of gentleness 

his nation. Bun 
re for following ii 



ed by the robber Edom o* Gordon, 
and wounds Gordon, who in his rag 



Says, ' nmher dear, gie owre this house, 

- For the reek it sraithers me. ' 
I wad gie a' my gowd, my childe, 

For ae blast o' the westlin wind, 
To blaw the reek frae thee. " 

songs, and the dramatic form which prevai 
so generally in them, probably arises froi 

song of Mary of Castle-Cary, the dramat 
form has a very happy effect. The same ma 
be said of Donald and Fiora, and Come undt 
wy ptaidie, bv the same author, 3Ir Macniel. 



B;. s 
1 all 

jpears 

lis la 


udy 

the* 

in 1 


and prat 


S 


ofset 


s'ibi 


It, they 


se, 






which they are 



A lady, of whose genius the editor enti 

i high admiration (.'Mrs Barbauld), b 



ll country." The damsels of Ramsay do 

walk in the midst of frost and snow Al- 

it all the scenes of the Gentle Shepherd are 

5Cts, and at the 'most genial season of the 
r. Ramsay introduces all his acts with a 
fatory description to assure of this. The 
It of the climate of Britain is not, that 
s not afford us the beauties of su 
.t the season of su 






.ively 



ain. There are 
ights, even in the northern division 

; what are to be found itf'the latitude of 
ly or of Greece. Buchanan, when he 
le his exquisite Ode to Way, felt the charm 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



To all these adve: 



Scottish »ong», they nre iu the h. 


he,l degree 




,ce,„. t.r.,,f 




Lea Rig, 


Highland Mary, to- Soldier's Rl 


urn, Logan 


Water, from that beautiful past 
Jean, and a great number of oth 


ral, Bonnie 




sionally tbe force of bis genius car 








and the natural otjects iniroauceu 


lave more of 




anceoftlns 


kind is iw 'i:e.i bj .lr Syuie,* and 


many others 


might Le adduced. 




■•Had I a cave on some Mild, dist 


ant shore, 


Where the winds bowl to the wa 








There would I weep my woes. 




There seek my last repose, 




'ill grief mj eyes should cu.se. 




Ne'er to wake more." 




In one song, the scene cf which 


is laid in a 


winter night, the ■« wau moon" is 


described IU 



this kind appear in Liberty, a Vision, and i 
bis two war.sor.gs, Bruce to his Troops, an 
the Son; of Death. These last are of a deacrip 
lion of which we have no other in our language 
The martial songs of our nation are not m.litary 



rt of the songs of Burn 



The greater part 
written after he I 
Dumfries. Influenced, perhaps, by ba'bil 
formed in early life, he usually composed wbil 
walking in the open air. When engaged u 



live fugacis gloria seculi, 
live secunda digoa dies nota, 

Et specimen ■• - 

* See page 18, 



Dos aspects, as it appears 
> of poetry, the productions 



being learnt in the years of infancy, make a 
deep impression on the heart before the evolu- 
tion of the powers of the understanding. The 
compositions of Burns, of this kiud, now pre- 

a most important addition to the popular songs 

Ihey exhibit independence o 

wliici bind generous hearts to their native so 

and to cherish those sensibilities which, und 






If in 



s ungua 



imposed some songs on which this praise can- 
not be bestowed, let us hope that they will 

where Scottish airs were allied to words ob- 
jectionable in point of delicacy, Burns has sub- 
stituted others of a pur-r character. On such 
occasions, without changing tbe subject, he has 
changed the sentiments. A proof of this may 
be seen in the air of JoAn Anderson my Jo, 



striking proof of the strength of Hums ' genius, 
than the general circulalion of his poems in 
England, notwithstanding the dialect in which 
the greater part are written, and which might 
be supposed to render them here uncouth or ob- 

dialect on subjects of a sublime nature; but in 

he rises into elevation of thought, he assumes 
a purer English style. The singular faculty 

gery of a sublime and terrific nature, enabled 






lis poem of Tarn 
:e of this. There 
e lowest humour. 
*ful and terrible 
at runs from the 



An Englishman wno 



is not offended, nay, on certain subjec's, he ,s 
perhaps pleased with tbe rustic dialect, as h* \ 
may be with the Ooric Greek of Theocritus. 

But a Scotchman inhabiting his own coun- 
try, if a man of education, and more especially j 

words from his writings, and has alleinrieu to 



BURNS LIFE. 



banish them from his speech ; and being 
accustomed to hear them from the vulgar 



indeed, opposes, the influence of fashion ; she, 
possibly, abandons the grace of elegant and 

fashionT^no sws 1 " 6 If sliV "succeeds, a ne" 
association arises. The dress of the beautiful 
rustic becomes itself beautiful, and establishes 
w fashion for the joung and the gay. And 



when, in after ages, the contempla 
shall view her picture in the pallet 
tains the portraits of the beauties o 
centuries, each in the dress of hei 
day, her drapery will not deviale, 
that of her rivals, from the stan 
taste, and he will give the palm 

Burns wrote professedly for the ] 
his country, and by them" their nati 
universally relished. To a numer. 
the natives of Scotland of another 



idiom of tl 

ments and the descriptions on which it is 

pleasing, many tender recollections. Literary 
men, residing at Edinburgh or Aberdeen, 

and fifty thousand of their expatriated country- 



reconciled. The dialect in question excels, ; 



For Scotchmen of this description more parti- 
predicted, willi" sunir'v.i'h ,.'-,al or superio'r 
Mississippi, as on those of the Tay or the 



eady been observed, in tl 



,ongs, it gives a I 
y generally appro 
t seem well ibu 



wards di-tn.iiui-li.J in l.t-r ."ture, have been 
born in as humble a Situation of life; but it 
would be difficult to find any other, who, 
while .-.rning his subsistence by daily labour, 

distinguished place among the followers of the 
muses. If he is deficient in grace, he is dis- 
tinguished for ease as well as energy; and 
these are indications of the hgher order of 
genius. The father of epic poetry exhibits ono 
of hi, heroes as excelling in strength, another 
in swiftness— to form his perfect warrior, 



1 olb, in who i both these qualities are united. 
Of Homer Saftelf, it may be said, that Iik« 
his own Achilles, he surpasses his competitors 

'"The fo'rcVoV Burns la" m the powers of his 
understanding, i ' ' 
heart ; and these 
living principle 



e found to infuse the 



of Ihe few pcvets that can be mentioned, who 
have at once excelled in humour, in tenderness, 

Voltaire. To compare Ihe ' writings of the 
Scottish peasant with the works of these giants 
in literature, might appear presumptuous; 
vet, it may he asserted that he has displayed 
the for,: '/Hercules. How near he might hi;-. 



>ver the melancholy story of his life, it is 
tnpossilile not to heave a sigh at the asperity 



THE DEATH OF BURNS. 

BY MR ROSCOE. 



: of cons 



rable d( 



The Editor, therefore, presents one poem only on this melancholy subject ; a poem -which has 
not before appeared in print. It is from the pen of one who has sympathized deeply in the 
fate of Burns, and will not be found unworthy of its author — the Biographer of Lorenzo de 
Medici. Of a person so well known, it is wholly unnecessary for the Editor to speak ; and, 
if it were necessary, it would not be easy for him to find language that would adequately tx- 
press his respect and his affection. 



Rear hijh thy bleak majestic hills, 
Thv shelter'd valleys proudly spread. 

And, Scotia, pour thv thousand rills, 
And wave thy htaths with blossoms red ; 



As bright thy summer suns may 
As gaily charm thy feathery tl 



What though thy vigorous offspri 
In arts, inarms, thv so-., ex..; 

Though beauty in thy "daughter, ' 
And health in every feature dw 

Yet who shall now their praises t 

S i"?!Vhe" on's "hall s 

To love, and liberty, and thee. 



Thyl 




i fro 


wning skies 




To 


him wweall wi 


!i ra 






Heh 


ard with joy th 








Th 


t waked him to 


sub 








ft thy winding 


!■!!, 


he sought" [t 






ere wild flow 'rs pou 


r'd their rcthe 


per- 


And with sincere dev 




brought 




To 


hee the summe 


r'se 


rliest bloom. 





Asdm 



iaysi 



. early tc 



-k the gloo 



Vud bid him feel 
Before his infant eyes would glide 
Day-dreams of immortality. 

Yet, not by cold neglect depress 'd, 

Snnk with the evening sun to rest, ' 

And met at morn his earliest smile. 
Waked by his rustle pipe, meanwhile 

The pow'rs of fancv came along, 
And soothed his lengthened hours "of toil 

With native wit and sprightly song. 

_Ah ! days of bliss, too swiftly fled, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



a cheerless shed, 
is earl, joys; 



That waits the son 


s of polish 


d lii>-. 


Iben 
H 

Duh 


wbik: fail throbbing rein 

fro*n bis lip-, me cup oi to 
d shroud the scene in iliad 


beat iii 
s of n° 



A husband's and a father's n 
'Tis done, (lie powerful cbarui 



And, Scotia, pour ib\ ih< 

And wave thy heaths with blossoms 

J hy airy height, thy wondianj re'f? 
S : -ice he (he s-wee le-t hard is dead 
T^at e»er urtath'd .Ue soothing «tra 



GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE 



ROBERT BURNS. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



It is impossible to d 


smiss this \ 


olume« of the 


Correspondence of 


our Bard, 




anxiety us to the re 


eption it m 


}• meet with. 


The experiment we 






been tried; perhaps 


nt a n nd° C uTp, 


n Ins so large 


fhe i pre*L fam ' m0t 


genius been 


committed to 


Of the following 


etters of Bu 


rns, a consid- 


erable number were 


™';;,' , I ',; t, ,T,'J 


er publication. 
were addres- 


a b ed' : h bu"t V o dl few n 




ted entire. It 


will easily be believ 










o publication. 









hey have seemed in thcmselve: 
lace in this volume, we have m 
asert them, though they may nc 
Bspond exactly with the letten 



ong these was 

to l)r Moore, 

In copying 









I being thought of inferior merit, or ot. 



usions of panegyric In printing this volume, the Editor has found 

is to whom thev uere addressed, others are j supposed to occur in the careless effusions, even 
nted from first draughts, or sketches, found I of luerary characters, who have not been in the 
ong the papers of our Hard. Though in ge- I habit of carrying their compositions to the 

' 'eration or effort than ! tended to uny habitual modes of exuression of 



irns, jet 



of li 






original sketches were found; and as these dub; and this volume wdl 

sketches, though less perfect, are fairly to be exhibit the progress of his style, as well as the 
considered as the offspring of his mind, where history of his mind. In the Fourth Edition, 



* Dr Currie's edition of Euros' Work, 
originally published in four volumes, of , 
the following Correspondence formed tl 



of inferior importan 



LETTERS, &c. 



No. L 

TO A FEMALE FRIEXD. 

WRITTEN ABOUT THE YEAR 17! 



and piety. This, f hope, will account fur the 
uncommon style of all my letters to you. l!y 



> yoe 



iplea 



giddy raptut 

I have often thought, that if a well-grounded 

_:U of my E. warms my heart, every 
feeling of humanity, every principle of gener- 
osity, kindles in my breast. It extinguishes 

creature in the arms of universal benevolence, 
and equally participate in the pleasures of the 
happy, 



u.ifort 
loot u; 



, I often 
its, with 



you. I siucerely wish that he may bless my 



worthy of a 
may profess 
in reality, h 



and draw kindly. I disdain I 
with "myself, if I thought I 



No. II. 

5 THE SAME. 



lean the persons who proceed in the way of 
ir?ain, but those whose affection is really 
laced on the person. 
Though I be, as you know very well, bat a 

pportunities of observing the conduct of others 
ho are much better skilled in the affair of 



knows i 


'.. wi 


at, pleases hiir 


, he 


knows c 






mpanv. This 


[take 


to be wl 


is called love with the greates 




of us, a 


I rnustc 




my dear E. it 


is a 1 
















i alu 


ver. You cant 


A rl; 


use but 






yet though you 






favourably, p 






ths, or 


farthest 










abie fan 
of anoth 


l, 1! t 


^Tt^nlre ™ 


'■.' i 


... i 














of se 


ing you, you may bi 








me.th 




si6n I ha 


"'">' r 


fessed'for you i 


s P ern 




those tra 




flashes I have 






jns'tieetc 


Mie 


y dear E. you 
ve me, when. I 


as^L 


d vou, e tl 


the love 


I hav 


for yoa is fou 


nded 




cred pri 


';!?' 


of virtue and 














c.f't'L;'. 1 . 


aim a 


le qualities wh 


ch iir 


t inspir 






DIAMOND CAEINET LIERARY. 



,ih kindred feelings of the heart, can 
the foundation of friendship, and it 
vs Lceuniy opinion, that the married 

will be so pood as to grant my wishes. 



I to my hopes by 



dear E., the only courtship I shall c 
°When I look over what I III 



apolo'-y-ltnow 
wuat your good st 






TO THE SAME. 



to be performed, if he be villain enough to 






practised, and which I shall inva 
pVam truth. There is something s < 



rery imperfectly) by 



n your real friend and », 



ely yet collect my 
u on the subject. 



vas peremp- 
wis'h me all 



immon personal advantages, and 



a warm feeling hearl 
peet " J meet wilh in B " 
id. All these charmi 



■ver efface. My imagination 

!-•:.! ii-.;i[ with a wish, 1 dare 
ached a hope, that possibly I 



for the loss of what I really had no right to 
expect. I must now think no more of you as 

ted as a friend. As such I wish to be allowed 



BURNS — LETTERS. 



TO V.R JOKN MURDOCH, 
SCHOOLMASTER, 



B Sin, LeclUee, \5th January, 178i 
lave an opportunity of sending you 



that 'l In 



obligati 



niil l„r_.t, 
jour kind- 



ness and frientbh.p. 

I do not doubt, Sfr, 1*1 ,OT ^wfc* to 

of an indulgent father, and'a masterly tccher ; 
and I wish I could gratifv -our cur.osir. with 
such a recital as you would be pleaded with; 

conduct will not disgrace the education i ha*e 
gotten ; but as a man of the world, I am most 

inferably uebcient One would have thought, 

that bred as I have been, under a father who 

ing, "active tellow; but', to tell vou the truth, 
Sir, there is hardly any thing more my reverse. 
1 seem to be one sent into the world to see. 



marine* -"'and'thelr way '°' ' andfor thi^oa 
subject,"! cheerfully sacrifice every other 

any mil- further. Even the last, wor/l .i„li~ 

much terrify me: 1 know that even' then m 
talent for what country folks call "a sensibl 

head,' would procure me so much esteem, tha 






lo here, must be tin 









:is about which the terrtelilial race fret, at 
mph swells my heart ! ' I forget that I a: 



the same tor y ourself, from, 



ed on a MS. of mj early years, in w Wh'fc, ; 

b el for"une d amon" te a clas^f men* tVwhom^nf 
i.v-.s would have been nonsense, 1 had 
meant that the book should have lain by me, 

alter! was no more, 'my thoughts would tail 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 






April, 1793. 

II /and weaknes 



Feels all the bitter horrors of his crime, 
Can brmly force his jarring thoughts to peace 

March, 1784. 



I have 



something goo. 



it degree any other person, be- 
:anbe, with strict justice, called 



August. 

I have always though! aline touch' of libtui 
that passage in a modern love composition : 

For my own | 
pot once heartily'" 



■er had the least 



September. 
I entirely agree with that judicious philos 

bosom. Any ordinary pitch of fortitude 



Of all the 


numerous ills that hurt our peace, 


'1 hat ore. 






sh, 


B-vondci 


mparison the worst are those 






In every o 




11., this 


o say—" It was no deed of mine ;" 


y,u: when 


to all the evil of misfortune 


'1 his sting 


is added— "Blame thy foolish self! " 




far, the pangs of keen remorse ; 


'Jh.-tortur 


- - 


£?"*•_ 





The young, the innocent, who fondly lo 
Nav, more, that very iove their cause of i 
O burning hell ! in all thy store of tormen 
There's not a keener lash ! 



Urity of conduct omoi 
■rant of opportunity. 



many of tLe 
escaped, be. 



laracter ; those who, by thoughtless prodiga- 
y or headstrong pa.sions, have been driven 
rum. Jhough disgraced by follies, nay, 

not a few instances? soT of "ihe'r.obS 
rtu«, magnanimity, generosity, i 



testy. 



April. 



is I am what the men of the wor 



Migbty t^mpost, and tl 



the sheltered side of the wood, or high planta- 
in a cloudy winter-day, and hear the 
j wind howling among the trees, and 
; over the plain. It is my best season 
votion : my mind is wrapt up in a kind 

age of the Hebrew bard, " walison the 



BURNS — LETTERS. 



wines of the wind. " In one of these season 
ust after a tram of misfortunes, I conipoa. 
:he following : 



miserable dupe to love, and have been led into 
a thousand weaknesses and follies by it, for 

critical skill, in distinguishing- foppery, and 

thTfoliowin'g^song will stand the' test, I will 
not pretend to say, because it is my own ; only 



Behind yon hills, i 



I think the whole s 



grand classes, which I shall call the grave and 
the merry ; though, by the bye these terms do 
not with propriety enough express m; idea.-,. 
The grave 1 shaU cast into the u=ual division 
of those who are goaded on by the love of 
money; and those whose darling wish is to 

the men of pleasure of all denominations ; the 



poises of nature ; the thoughtless, the car 
the indolent -in particular he, who, w 
happy sweetness of natural temper, : 

... .: .--.■;, . ..... 

who can sit gravely down and make a rel 

of all 'the towerin'gs of genius, and whose 
are warmed with all the delicacy of feelii 

As the grand end of human life is to 



tion teach us To expect beyond the grave : I 
do not see that the turn of mind, and pursuits 
of any son of poverty and obscurity, are in the 
least more inimical to the sacred intere.!_- of 
piety and virtue, than the, even lawful, bustling 

oursViTl do'not seeTnt th at° he' may ga?n 
Heaven as well (which, by the bye, is no mean 
consideration), who steals through the vale of 
life, amusing himself with every little flower 
that fortune throws in his way ; as he who, 



where, after all, he can only see, 
»r, indolent devil he has left behind 



vhich shows th 
land: and it hi 
cl.e to reflect, 



rokes of nature-that their very names (O 

,w certifying to a bard's vanity"!) are now 






le adored. Li 
hyou/sfarength o'f* 



ippy cc 



lightly on your 

,ich this world seldom gives to the 
.uned to all the feelings of poesy and 

is all worth quoting in my MSS. and 



No. VII. 

TO MR AIKEN. 

[The Gentleman to whom the Cotter's 
day Night is addressed.] 

I was with Wilson, my printer, t'othe 
us. After I had paid him all demands, 



pounds, 


md the printing ab 


iteen: he 


oilers to j£«£ «» « 


ig, if I wi 








-s . f a se 


o.id edition till I gr 




whic'i, I think, v 


payment 


of the British natio 


scarcely . 


ny thing hurts me 


- 


nted of my second e 




n my power to show 


Mr Balla 


tyne, by publishing 



DIA'.'C'ND CABINET LIBRARY. 



1,1., tor in- I. 



I have only one an.wer— (he feeling 






suing over my follv-devoted liead. Should 
you, mv friends, my benefactors, be successful 
in you/applications for me, perhaps it may not 



To tell the truth, I have little reason for 
this last complaint, as the world, in general, 

I was, for some time past, fast getl 



directed atmosphere of fortune, w 


tile, all de- 




looked about in vain 










force it de< 


erved, that this norl 








il for a pro. 


gressive strt 




ver I might 


I"'-""-' ■< » 










• more than 


















ullifulcoui- 






epted, who 








otMhe hum 


in race), were striki 


ig oil' with 


other of'' li, 


a mtnl a pal^ t ot % bmj 


I';"'.' 7 was 


i",," ;'",;' '",,' 


e l of"'h he o" :lrl< t' Pl; ' 


■' n ' "? only 


Boner, tab 


u°nt°f a n4froinwaim 


o'yvhiuT '° 


You see, 


Sir. that if to know 


lie's errors 




tbility of mending thei 


, I'-taml a 


fair chance 




Westmitiste 












implying it. 








No. VIII. 




TO MRS DUNLOP, OF DUNLOP. 


MADAM, 


Ayvthi 


re, 1786. 


wheVr 1 ^ 




.w,.er.!-.y. 








iirou5 e 


s. and incomparably i 






ili',','er"l a,n fuM re P o'r 


ased to pay 








there is not 




,o feelin/ly 


alive to the 


7™T\fe*J!f'toZ 






Si^i 




^«tly J 't'',a, 


by noticing my attein 


,ts r t'o ".'-'ie! 




lu»triou» ancestor, the 


Saofour of 


his Country 






"Great, pa 


riot hero ! ill requited 


cli.ef \ J 


The first book I met with in my 


arly years, 


which I per 


tsed with pleasure, w 


» The Life 




the next was The Hi 


lory of Mr 


William W 


'-■re: for several of 


n7mat e a 




have I stole out, af'te 


the labori- 




S of the day, to shed 










beinz s'trucl 


days 1 remember, in 


aceWory 


where the.e 


ines occur - 




* This le 


ter was evidently wr 


tten under 


the digress 


f mind occasioned by 


our Poet » 


separation f 


om iirs Eurn=. 





BURNS LETTERS. 



>retto; and, as I explore 
to have lodged, 1 recolIe< 



No. rx. 

TO MRS STEWART OF STAIR. 

MADAM, 17S6. 

The hurry of my preparations for going abroad 
has hindered me from performing my promise 

, parcel of songs, &c. which never made their 
ann-nraiice, except to a friend or two at most. 

tainment to yon : but of that I am far from 
being an adequate judge. The song to the tune 
or Ettrirk Banks, you will easily see the inipro- 

I think, myself, Tt has some merit, both as a 
tolerable description of one of Nature 's sweetest 



rocure me that permiss 



No. X. 
BLACKLOCK 



THE REVEREND MR G. LOWRIE. 
: ought to have acknowledged your favour long 



nour in those of a 



task for which I am alto: 
nothing of your connect! 
found— °he Tor"" *" 



is by no means the road to your gooc 
.turc of your character I shall evei 



tfonlgo 


, when 


I had the honou 


of wailhU 




St.ur. 


I am little acqu 


aimed with 


^lUenes 






of benevo- 


lence of t 


emper a 






ly, did 






know how 


happy th 




make some cla 


ses of their 




by cond 


scension and aff 










nrout wiiu 


every loo 




ight of their el 




St"..?" 1 


d as sweetly as did Mrs 


Stewart ot 




* 


Miss A 




iiaie 


ong inc 


osed is that given 


in the Life 


of our Po 








'Twos e 


eii-tie 


dewy fields were 


green, &c 



Mr Stewart, Professor of Morals in th 

nserted among the subscribers ; but whetl" 



copy with di 



No. XL 
FROM SIR JOHN WHITEFORD. 

STR, Edinburgh, 4.'A Lheemher, 17S£ 





The read 


prw 


Jl perce 


ve that 


thi 


is the 


let 
Ba. 


d 


vhich p 
o give 
ndies, 


rodu 


ced the 
lis sche 


rw^ 


ring 


i of our 






h. M , 




in Edi 
















at by M 








H 






by 










am 




whose 


papers it was found. 







DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



9.2,1 December, 17S6. 
■ed a letter from Dr lilack- 



.',«■« BtiU hi" 
)ul. a, a Itic 









ul-.t- 



and exalt and re 
a poet. 

ve and good report, and good opinion, 

he crac'ice'as you do in the theory of 

co^^tion fn vV'e " kTbV™ oi™ 
news, and good wishes for your futther 



nv xnr. 

TO MR CHALMERS. 

Edinburgh, S7lhDec 1788. 



onfess I have 
re is hardly any 



ner ; but of 

,end you an 
e plodding, 



jc.ty preside over the dull routine of b 

ever since I came to Edinburgh, i 
ite a letter of humour as to virite 
ary on the Revelations. 



ad spun since I 
i the address to 



mour to be more than once. There has n 
■en any thing nearly like her, in nil the con 
nations of beauty, grace, and goodness, tl 
eat Creator ba9 formed, since .Milton's E 
. the first day of her existence. 
I have sent vou a parcel of subscription bill 
id have wnlten to Mr Ballentine and i\ 
iken. to call on you for some of them, if th. 
ant tbem. My direction is— Care of Andre 
ruce, merchant, Bridge Street. 



No. XIV. 

TO THE EARL OF EGLIN'TON. 

HV LORD, Edinburgh, January, 1 737. 

I have but slender pretentions to philoso- 
y, I cannot rise to the exalted ideas of a 
izen of the world; but have all those na- 
nal prejudices which. I believe, glow pecu- 
rlv strong in the breast of a Scotsman. 

e '"as an the h honou r "ndwelfaTe of 
i countr?: and. as a poet, I have no higher 
ig her sons and daugh- 



"^• V Tate' l.ad casf'm ».„„ v, . 
bades of life ; but never did a heart pant 
tore ardently than mine, to be di.linguished -. 
tough, till very lately, I looked in vain on e.r, 
ide for a ray of light. It is easy, then, to 
uess how much I was grati5ed with the coun. 

tost illustrious sons, when Mr VVaachope 
ailed on me yesterday, on the part of your 
irdship. Yonr munificence, my lord, cer- 
linly deserves my very grateful acknowledg- 
lents ; but your patronage is a bounty pecu- 

enough of the etiquette of life to know whether 
■— be not some impropriety io troublme 
lordship with my thanks ; but my heart 

I hope, I am incapable of; and mercenary ser- 






No. XV. 

TO MRS DUNLOP. 

MADAM, Edinburgh, Jan-jary 15, 1787. 

foi ungrateful neglect. I will tell you thi 
1 truth, for I am miserably awkward at i 
: I wished to have written to Dr Moon 
Dre I wrote to you ; but though, every daj 
ce I received yours of December 30th, thi 
a, the wish to write him, has constantly 
ssed on my thoughts, yet I could not fo. 
* 'lout it. I know his fame ant 
lam one of "the sons of littii 



To w 



affair, like a merchant's order, would be dis- 

the author of The aety and Man- 

artery runs cold at the thought. I shall try. 

His kind interposition in my behalf I have al- 
ready experienced, as a gentleman waited on 
me the other day, on the part of Lord Eglin- 
ton, with ten guineas by way of subscri— ' — 



from Thomson ; but it does not strike me as 
an improper epithet. 1 distrusted my own 
judgment on your rinding fault with it, and ap- 
plied for the opinion of some of the Literati 
here, who honour me with theSr critical stric- 
tures, and they all allow it to be proper. The 
song you ask 1 cannot recollect, and I have not 
t composed any thing 

nclosed, which I will 



le great Wall 



composed my Vision, long ago, I had alternat- 
ed a description of Kyle, of which the addi- 
tional stanzas are a part, as it origiually stood. 
My heart glows with a wish to be able to do 
justice to the merits of the Saviour of his 
Country, which sooner or later, I shall at least 
attempt. 

my prosperity as a poet! Alas ! madam, I 

mean any airs of affected modesty ;'l am will- 
ing to believe that my abilities deserved some 

age and nation, when poetry is and has been 

the study of men of the hist nalai 

aided with all the powers of polite learning, 

ged L^toAefMgllrtTne^i'a.al polite 
Observation, with all my imperfections of awk- 
ward rusticity and crude unpolished ideas on 



LETTERS, 
.y head-I a* 



rely do 1 see that time 
leave me, and recede, 
le mark of truth. 

and interesting your- 



ed with the patronage of the descendant of the 



No. XVL 

TO DR MOORE. 



solicitudes of authorship, i 
ner by judges of the first char 



certainly have altered, were gone to the press. 

The hope to be admired for ages is, in by 

far the greater part of those even who are au- 






on and CollFnTde- 
vain enough to hope 



No. xvt r. 

FROM DR MOORE. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



lin of my friend 






, of expression. Inde 



country, thai fueling sensibility to ail t 

which breathes through ihe whole, give 
most favourable impression of the poe 
havo made me often regret that I did r 
the poems, the certain eflect of which 

when I was'lonper'in Scotland than 1 
been forma 






■rely at the encourage- 

idinburgh, and I think 

YOU peculiar!;, lurlunate in ihe patronage of 

•elf very'moch'for you. 1 beg to be remem- 

gard for that gentleman than I have, which, 
independent of ihe worth of his character, 
would be kept alive by the memory of 
our common friend, the late Mr Ceorge 

B e. 

Before I received your letter, I - 

in a letter to , a sonnet by Miss Wil 

liams, a young poetical lady, which she wrote 
on reading your Mountain-Daisy ; perhaps it 

I have been Irving to add to the number of 
your subscribers; but I tind many of my ac 
qaaintanee are already among them. I have 



A poet dr'ew from heaven, shall never die, 
L 'Mid penury's bare soil and bitter gale'; 






blows, 
Nor ever kne 

By genius in In 
On nature vr 

Then through 



Indignant, and in light unborrow'd blazed. 
&-.otia ! from rude affliction shield thy bard. 
His heaven-taught numbers Fame herself 
will guard- 



No. XVIII. 
TO DR MOORE. 
Edinburgh, \blh February, 1787. 

my seeming neglect in delaying so 






jnest national prejudice of my country- 
have borne me to a height altogether 
able to my abilities. 
r the honour Mi-s W. has done me. 

grateful thanks. I have mure than once 
thought of p ying her in kind, but have 
hitherto quitted the idea in hopeless despon- 
dency. 1 had never before heard of her : but 
'' liber day I got her poems, which, for 



No. XIX. 
FROM DR MOORE. 
Clifford Street, 2&th February, 1787. 



letter of the 15th gave 



played with most ostentation by those 
have the greatest share of self-conceit, 
which only adds undeceiving falsehood to 
gosling vanity. For you lo deny the n 
of your poems would be arraigniug the I 



BURNS.— LIFE. 



small mark of yny esteem. It is sent by sea, 
to the care of Jlr Creech; and, alcng will 
these four volumes for yourself, I have alsc 
sent my Medical Sketches, in one volume, fo) 
ray friend Sirs Dunlop of Dunlop : this jot 



so ample, and shall rejoice at every piec 
good fortune that Details y ou : for you are a 



■writes 10 me that he is ti ai.,l:.tii.- h.k .-lai.z;.» 
of your Hallowe'en into Latin ^erse, for the 
benefit of his comrades. This union cf taste 
partly proceeds, no doubt, from the cement of 

who left Scotland tec. early in life for recoiled 



with great sincerity, 

J. MOORE. 



No. XX. 
TO THE EARL OF GLENCAIRN. 



my gratitude ; I wanted to have it in my 1 cuu- 
to say to a friend, Here is my noble patron, 

ship by the honest throe of gratitude, by the 
generous wish of benevolence, by all the powers 

mind, do not deny me thU petition. * I owe 
to your lordship ; and what has not in some 
' ways been the case with me, the 



- ? htct 



endent as your 



I would be jealous of the purity of my grate 
of one of the much favoured sons of fortune. 



., then, my lord, if you think the ve 

ve i l. t . l...i.our to be 

Your lordship's highly indeb 



TO THE EARL OF EUCHAN. 

honouryour lordship has done me, by your 

raise from thy lips 'lis mine with joy to 
our lordship l< 






ti:,: 

urely fil- 



ler nothii.tr more than to mal 
grimtige through my native c 
11 u, t .11 those once hard-cont 

..';..;.', 

wmds! " 'l, \Visdom, dwell with prudence."*" 

This, my lord, is unanswerable. I must 
return to my Lun.bie s ia:,on, and woo my ru r 

Still, my lord, while the drops of life warm my 



Erf. Property mfarovr of Mr Robert Burns, 
to erect and ktep vp a Headstone in v.ev.ory 
oj Poet Fergusson, 1787. 

Session-house, u-ilhin the Kirk of Ca- 

\ndred 



and eightg-setxn yea 



letter from Mr Robert Burns, of 
ill, current, whehwas read, and 
o le eiitrrossfd in their sederuul- 
:.f which letter the tenor follows: 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



i. Ihen, Gentlemen, 



K\>. '" 



tubKi-UUur.) "ROBERT BURNS. 

Thereafter the said managers, in 
lion of the laudable and di*in:ereste. 
Mr Burn-, and the propriety of h 



n of the i 



uning. Extracts 
n Sprutt, Clerk. 



many repeated ii 

rh n «ni rt ou n - i bui p .r , oa 8 knVi, , wh«t p rdi»i"/rT 



- J'lp'nR cur power, efli- 
au. chief, be might be of 



infan 






deed over, than, amid»t the bitter 
sequences of folly, in the very vol 

w:th the feeling, of the d !. 

I have inclosed you, by way ol 



phu 



truly e 



The Inscription on the Stone is at follows ; 
HERE LIES ROBERT FERGUSSON, 



To poar her sorrows o'er her poet's dust. 
On the other tide of the Stone is as follows 



" By special grant of the Managers to Robert 
Robert Fergussou. " 



No. NX IV. 

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM 

8th March, 17S7. 
I am truly happy to know you hnvo found n 

friend in ; his patronage of you does 

him gnat honour. He is truly a good man ; 
by far the best I ever knew, or, perhaps, ever 
shall know, in this world. But I must not 
■peak all I think of him, lest I should bo 
thought partial. 

Bo JOU have obtained liberty from the ma- 

been, as Sliik-p.ure says," in the olden -time :" 
"The port's fate, is here in emblem shown. 

It is, I believe, upon poor Biillor'B tomb 

of Parnassus, as well as poor Duller and poor 
Fergusson, have u-ked for bread, aud been 
served with the same -auce ! 

ri ,i.- isavc i/ou liberty, did they ? 
O generous magistrates ! • • • • , celebrated 
over ihe three kingdoms for his public spirit, 
gives a poor poet liberty to raise a tomb to a 
poor pel's memory ! — most generous ■ • • •! 
once upon a time, gave that same poet Ihe 
mighly sum of eighteen pence for a copy of 
bis works. But Ihen it must be considered 



ltd, •) 



urigerj a 



ii ihi « 



rortb. at least one-third of 
ihe value, in exchange, but which, I believe, 
the poet afterward* very ungratefully expunged. 

seeing you in Edinburgh ; and as my Blay will 

be for eight or ten days, I wish you or 

would take a snug, well-aired bedroom for 
me, where I may have the pleasure of seeing 
you over a morning cup of lea. But by all 
accounts, it will be a matter of some difficulty 
to see you at all, unless vour company ii be- 
spoke a week before-hand. There is a great 
rumour here concerning your great intimacy 

with the Duchess of , and other ladies 

of distinction. I am really told that '• cards 

" bribes to your old secretary." It seems you 
are resolved to make hay while the sun shines, 
and avoid, if possible, the fate of poor Fer- 
gusson, (Jaartnda pe- 

curtia primum eat, virtus post nummes, is a good 
maxim to thrive by • you seemed to despise it 

losopher in Edinburgh has taught you better 



Pray, are , 



i yet 



nera.ingaswellasprinl 

ore in the front, 
d rhyme upou't 1 



BURNS.— LETTERS. 

up this trifling, and at.e, 



N-. XXV. 
TO MRS DI7NLOP. 



MADAM, Edinburgh, March 22, 17S7. 
I read your letter with watery eyes. A little, 
-,erv little while ago, I had soiree a friend bid 
;v, ftvM, n. pride i.t'im, . tc.'i Loom ; now 1 am 
distinguished patronized, befriended by you. 
Your friendly advices, I will not gnu theu'i the 



3ld name of critic 


;,;,:, i «,=;;« 


with re 


ve- 












the adv 






us friends amo 


ng the 1 






them I some 


mes find 




ecessary to claim t 


le privilege of thinking 


or 


yself. The nob 


e Earl of G 






horn I owe more 








ae honour of givi 










impropriety o 




C J. 


follow implicitly. 








You kindly inter 


est yourself i 


my fut 




tZ s . a - nd p ',? specl 


; there I can 


give you 


no 



Was roll'd together, or had trud his beams 

The appellation of a Scottish bard is by fa 
my highest pride; to continue to deserve it i 
my most exalted ambition. Scottish scenes an 
Scottish story are the themes I could wish t 

my power, unplagued with the routine of busi 

enough, to make leisurely pilgrimages throug 



ce, or folly, he may bi 



ut where God and nature h 
weltare of others to his ca 
ist is sacred, and the ties are d. 
ist be far gone in selfishness, 
t to reflection, whom these c 



letter of one of 

,,h,- ,'!f F.-rJI 



rted, if they could have 



tratesof Edinburgh had anyshare 


n'the trans'ac 




ected for Fer 


gusson by our ard ; this, it is e 






ion of the Ca 


r.ongate. Neither at Edinburgh, 


nor anvwher 


else, do magistrates usually troul 


le themselve 




r poet is fur 



.hall cast a leisure glance to that dear, that 
inly feature of my character, which gave me 
he notice of my country and the patronage of 

Thus, honoured madam, I have given you 



No. XXVI. 

TO THE SAME. 

Edinburgh, \ St h April, 1 
i affectation of gratitude wh 



so I shall not trouble you with any fine speeches 
the truest, the warmest, sense of your good. 



No. XXVI i. 
TO DR MOORE. 
Edinburgh, 23d April, 17S7. 
led to Mrs Dunlop. I am Ul-skiiled 



9-i DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

hour will warmly remember il. 'lu be highly 
pleased Willi jour Look. u. what 1 have in 
common wilh the world ; but l" i 

I -iill more supreme graliucation. 
1 leave Edinburgh in Hie course ol leu days 
or a fortnight; lad artel .i |. » 

CvtaUn-Knouxi. lia„k*«l 1 urn.ir, 7V..J, A-r. 
I »b>ll return io mj rural ehadee, 
hood never man la quit tli.-m. I 

all aid the, are allot loo It u construction 

rriage a hundred and Bfti mUaa. To 

mj in-i. or appearane* will b) ui 

lilla me io u settled corrcapoudauce w.ih any 

oi j.mj. win. arc ill.- parmaneut ligbu oi gaolui 



itiou iii mj old circle, 1 may prooablj eo- 



xirnAcr ox a it i i. k 
I Mill'. 
Edinburgh, 30(A April, 1787. 

. lii>r mj Uallcrtd lho«e 
L-o.,e»s'U the adventitious uualitn 

I 



[lie world by aud by — illiberal abu>e, and 
pi caatempiooac neglect, 
n happy. Madam, that tome of mjr own 
rite piece* are distinguish, d 

ifortunately iocorred jour loyal displea- 



No. XXIX. 
10 TUE REVBBEND DB HUGH 

DLjIU. 
Lawn- Market, Edinburgh, 3d Jby.1787, 



: Edinburgh to-morrow morning, tut 
iBcerdj to LhanJk you lot 



of my singular 
Biluatioa ; drawn forth from the \erie»i shauee 
of life to the glare of remark ; und honoured 
bj the notice of those illustrious mimes of my 



warm gratitude I am, 4ic. 



nnin 

who arc trul, I t.i.l..ra 

ire of ....... i 1 knew very 

U....O.. nieril was far uncnunl to 

'serving thai character when onco 

us,-, or almost Bran neglect, will 

you a proof impression of Heu- 



No. XX. \. 
Hit BLAIB. 
ArgnU.Squart, Edinburgh, UA i 



il. an inipressioi 

t which I return yu my 
ibauks. The I 

nut luink wat beyond \ 
have had an) amall hand iu contributing Io 

■rbo are advancec 

■ 

. I rough! out to 



I j Mlfiog on 

loot the underlain,: lor ■ ...... ting ami pui.lish- 

I 



Your situation, an you say, wm ind« .1 very 
singular; , 

-hades of deepest privacy, to so 
great a shore of public noli ca ana o 
you had to aland a aeverc tr.ai. I am bappgf 
thai you hate »lood il >o well ; and as hi as 1 
have known or heard, though in the ni.dvl of 
many lemplatious, withoui reproach to your 

life i am) 1 Iru.l, wi.l conduct 
re mih industry, prudence, and 

.lion for 

proper, yoa will not, 1 hope, neglect to pro- 
thai eateem, by cultivating your genu., 
Mending to such productions of it as may 



.Is ; lor on any aecond pro- 

llie world, , 
uch depend. ' lo..ie _, i.u 



BURNS — LETTERS. 



than all his other writings. But nothing now 

1 Saturday Night In these are united fine iraa. 

eery, natural and paih-tie description, with 



expression and command of the English 
guage; you ought, therefore, to deal r 
sparingly for the future, in the provincial 






As you mention your being just about to 

leave town, you are £ouij, I snoiiU. sun >"-', 
to Dumfriesshire to look at some of Mr Miller's 



jou will not easily find a 
belter hearted proprietor to 
Miller. When you retur. 
way, I will be happy to se 



3, near the Musselburgh road. Wish- 
i and esteem, 
Dear Sir, 

Yours sincerely. 

HUGH BLAIR. 

No. XXXL 
FROM DR MOORE. 

Clifford Street, May 23, 17S7- 

pleasure of your letter by Mr Creech, 



Some of the poems \ou have added in thi 
last edition are beautiful, particularly the Win 
ter Night, the Address to Edinburgh, Gree 

ately following ,' the la r u' -.- ; ~ , 



all persons of 'taste who'u, 
language ? In my opini 



cute any part of it til 
of the best Englisl 



Greek and Roman s 



master of the 

t highly deligLt 

id. You should also, and very 



i mind capable of attaining knowledge by a 



licularly one called Somebody's Conlcssi.,n ; 
if you will intrust me with the sight of any of 
tbe-e, I will pawn my word to give no copies, 
and will be obliged to you for a perusal of them. 



auld clay iiU-L'iu. Virgil, before you, provi 

hope that you may afford an example of a 
poet beinz a successful farmer. I fear it 
not be in rav oower to visit Scotland this 
son; when'l'do, I'll endeavour to find 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



and tou msy depend o 



J. MOUKL. 



No. XXXII. 
I ROM MR JOHN HUTCHINSON. 



ary 178T. wl ... .. 
enragad with Mr Douglas of Fort Anionio. for 
three years, al thirty pound. sterling a-year; 
and am happy sonie unexpected accidents in- 
tervened that prrtenlrd your .ailinj,- with the 



greater p. 



Douglas's employ would by no means have 
answered your expiations. I received a copy 
.f your publication., for which I return you 
my thank., and it i. my own opinioo. as 
well •• that of .uch of my friends aa have 
seen them, they arr mo»l ex. . .1. -i.t in tbefa 
kind ; although some could hate wi.hrd they 
had been in the Bag li.h »tyle. a. they allege lb* 

elegance and beauties of your 
— "e in a great mea.ure lost to far the 
■rt of tLr communis. " 

u bad sufficient reasons for 

.■-i -perhaps the wl.bea of soma of 

J renin, your palroni, 

I old country 

...alionsforlheaaiue. It 

; IWtH in >our verb, 

-ritiog ,n Qm H.C1..1. 

aa in the Scottish dialect, aod lam in great 

hopes your g-uius for poetry, li 

hoth for | oamatf and 

I 

roan'of U t aVn."'- r I I .d "iul'bS??'"'"" "" " 
confident roa can do tar U-ller I 

la Jamaica. 1 >m glad to hear 
-re well, and .hall aJway. be happy 



i, with reapect, 

'.. Ac. 
Joll.v ill rCHINSON. 

No. XXX ill. 



the effusion of an half hour I tpeut at Bru'ar.' 

deavoured to brush it up aa well a. Air 

.N 's chat, and the jogging of the chiiiw, 

would allow, li Bases my heart a good deal, 
as rhyme is the coin with which a poet pays 
his debts of honour or gratitude. What I owe 

* help n 

shall nev.r I I 

The tilth "angel ban.!! "— 1 declare I 
prayed for thru very sincerely to-day at the 
I- all of Kyars. I ahall never forget the tine 
family-piece I saw at lllair ; the amiable, the 
truly noble Duchess, with her smiling little 



oral] •• 



r head of the 



No. XXXIV. 

|] 1:1. It I Bl UN'S. 
EdhJnn-gk, 17IA ScpL 1787. 



• il hundred "unlrs, wmdiigs included. My 
farthest stretch was about ten mile, beyond In- 
1 wot tbrough the heart of (he 
Highlands, by Crieff, 'Juynioutb, the famous 
I llreadalbaoe, down the Tay, 
among cascades and droidical circle* of stone* 
lo Dunkrld. a seat of the Duke of Albole; 
thence cross lay, and up one of his tributary 
streams to Blair of Albole, another of tho 
duke's seats, where 1 bad the honour of apend- 

ily ; thence many unle* through a wild coun- 
try, among cliffs gray wiih eiernal mom, ana 
gloomy savage gin,., till I cros^d hpey and 

famous in Scottish music, Badenoch, ate. till 
I reached Grant Castle, where I spent half a 
day with Sir James Grant and family , 
and then crossed the country for r'orl George, 
but called by the way at Cawdor, the ancient 
«»! of .Macbeth ; there 1 saw the identical bed 
in which, tradition says, king Duncan waa 
murdered : lastly, from fort George to Invei- 

I returned by the coett, tbrcoga Nairn, 
Forres, and .o on, to Aberdeen; thence to 
Stonehive, where James Burnes, from M a n 
trose, met me by appointment. I spent t»< 



e bad several letters from his * 



BURN'S — LETTERS. 



what cared I for fishing towns or fertile carset 
I slept at the famous Brodie of Brodie's o 
night, and dined at Gordon Castle next d 
with the Duke, Duchess, and family. I a 



means of JohnRonald.atGIasgow: 
hear farther from me before 1 lea\ 



No. XXXV. 
FROM MR R 



Edinburgh, 
ts from the 
terlycompli- 



mk, Ochtertyre, 22rf October; 1787. 

Twas only yesterday I got Colonel Edmon- 

Dmcnllieburi,, huh; nor Dainty Diri-, (I 
forgot which ynu mentioned), were written Lv 
Colonel G. Crawford. Next tim I meet 
him, t will inquire about his cousin's poetical 



A htmlTv,, 
e field. His 



might have kept Om. 
countrymen were in i 

simplicity and kindness .... A group 

the plot, might be formed from his family', or 

-th the exercise of^en' " ? - 
;rafted on patriarchal 
state affairs, would 
imedy; though a small spice of 

study of the character of Eumteus 



lir ai.d soil, 

profitable mor 



Now fondly marking the progress of my tree 

Now studying the bee, its arts and manner.-. 

Here, if it please Almighty God, 

May I often rest in the evening of life. 



,nd long may ye flourish. 
DOOR OP THE HOUSE. 
1775. 



On the banks of the Teith. 

i the small but sweet inherit™ 

Of my fathers, 

i inscriptions, and the translati 
and-writingofMrR . 

;xcuse the liberty taken by the n 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



diicovery ; «nd p»ici 



n Ibe plot, and • hippy 



Bol. wbil.t I presume lo five a few well- 
meant him.. 1*1 me mMm vnu la aiudy Ibe 
• pint of my mme-ike » dialogue,* winch i« 
natural wi'lboul belli;? low. and, under ihe 
trammelt of ver>e, to .uch a. country prople in 
tbeir .,.u.l..n-. apart every da;. You have 
only lo bring down jour own .train a very 
little. A great plan, .u.-h o- tin-, would en 
centre all your ideas, which fa.-ilitaie. the 



• 


-■•■j a 


pur.uit be wel 


cbu'en ond 


.leadily pur.ued. 




e lucrative 






thia age of ra 


id iu.pro.e- 










Upon thi. 






wi.l.e, and 






to go a .tep f 


rlher. Let 








might, ha. 


bratowed on 






employed lo 


the noble pu 


tp.»^ of .up porting I 


he c.u.e of 






An imaginel.c 








, ma, do lb,. 


n many dif. 








o be alw.v. 




■ :■-'- 


h»v» been to good purpce ; 


good moral. 


i.a, b* 




o. comedy, 






Ureal allowar, 








whichm 


V.e, 


man 


an hundred 




.ro 




doubly daogerou 






!3»ta 


kS 


end 


be .lip. and 

- tor pa;-;.. 


"iSSS 




of faith. 










differed , 


and 












icn o 




men of 




phj.ieal 


u ..'. 


bu 


.eldom me 






temper. 












ken. it i 


ma 




that all our 






\\>u : 


net 


mora 


,. Youwil 


forgive 


B« f 


■ha 


think you of good Lady C 


f 


i. a pity 












.inc., 


Her 


bom 




n of the 






jur gentry 


of the last ag 




ho-p 



a the Gentle Shepherd. 



and Mrs I. . ■'. - 



st obedient humble i 



| TALE OK OMElui.N CAMERON. 

In one of the war. betwixt the Crown of 
lb* Lord* of Ita* III**. Alexander 

t'er in'tiie 'neenill century), and Donald Slew . 

art, Karl ul Cuithue.., bad the comm.ind oi 

to it oarebod lato l.ochaber, 

with a view uf attacking a body of M 'Donalds, 

commanded bj Donald llalloch, and po.ledupon 

an arm ol t lie >ea which inler.ecl. thai country. 

lining timely intelligence of Ibeir approach. 

the Insurgent* got ort precipitately lo the oppo- 

, i ,eir curagh.. or boat, covered 

with akin.. 'Do- king", troopa encamped in 

fu.l aecurity; but the M- Donald., returning 

at, luratiaedtbaai, UUadlba Earl 

of Cailhiie.a, and de.trojed or dispersed the 

1... Bart'of Mir eeeapad In thadark, with- 
out any all.ndauts. and made for the mure 
l..lly pi.-t of the cuuntrv. In ihe cour.e of hi. 
Ili-ln be came to the h.m.o of a pour man. 



! bi. wife be would direct!} kill 
. * 10 feed the stranger. " Kill our 

ihaaloTba'ri wlf». «t tU 

laimly, be killed the 

,'. ami lendereat part, were im- 

madialel) rua-ied before ihe lire, and pi. my ol 

ii gh n-.i wop, prepared to con- 

gu. .1 ate hcanly, end ihe evening wa. .pent 
a. uaual, in telling lale, and .mging aonga be- 

Utk, ipraad ilm cow hide upon 

Earl wrapped hi. plaid about linn, and slept 
sound on the bide, tshil.t the family betook 

Next morning they had a plentiful breakfast, 
and at hia departure hi. gue>t naked Cameron, 
it he knew whom be had entertained ? " You 
may probably," answered he, •' be one of the 
king "a officer.; but whoever you are, you 
came here in di.lre... and liere it waa my duty 
to protect you. To what my cottage afforded, 
you are most we.come."— •• Your guaal. 
Iben, " replied the other, "is the Earl of 
Mar : and if hereafter you fall into anv mlafor- 
lune. fail not to come lo ibe castle uf Kildrum- 
niie." — "Mj bles.ing he with you! nob 






if I am ever in 
>aa aoou after re-assembled -. 
J tV."di.p»»ei "The M •- 



BURNS LETTERS. 



Nj. XXXVI. 

FROM MR W , 

ithole House, 13th September, 1787. 

letter of the 5th reached me only on the 

'not : but it deprived me of the pleasure 
■iting to you in the manner you proposed, 
u must have left Dundee before a letter 

is the best consolation for the neatness of 
I stiil think with vexation on that ill- 



id of those v 

. You know how an 
have another day of you 



ruptible. Your verses have given us mat 
light, and I think will produce their j 
effect.* They produced a pov\ erful one i 
diately ; for the morning alter I read thei 
all set out in procession to the Bruar, • 
none of the ladies had been these seven or 
them there. 

of the dying Irouts. Of the high fall, " i 



sceuded of this Higl 

* The humble Pt 

tneDukeofAthole, 



im to % the 
ind children 
and requ.red 



irved. Upon hearing how he had 

, the earl gave him a four 

; castle: and it is said ther 
, umber of Cameron 



Here I cannot deny myself the pleasure of 
eutioning an incident which happened yes- 



ie confusion of her gratitude, invited us i 
liss C. and I, that we might not hurt her ( 
cacy, entered- but, good God, what wretc 

:•.■■.•.'.-!. us, — herowncottc 





re sU 


a p 


rfectly silent— looked at Miss 












ii,> 


C. jo 


..,:'' 


er, and, with a vel 






ility, 














an "slap. What a 




«n1 


\z A , 


"n 


accomplished girl 
a situation! Take 


yc f ur e pef: 


.1 :-. 


dpain 




in your most glow 




-Ho 






amidst the darkne 




■ uT 


of hi 




"****** L f }f £o, 




Tw 

.li i 


. It 

i,e n 


a't'le 
ledg* 


Jharming place, 
l too busy. Let m 


t to Tav- 
ut still' 1 

and yuu 
of naked 






t surpassed. The 


loch, the 


ioth 






id the fall of the h 






"']'" 


"fake 


elight. But 1 thin 
n proper advantage 


t the last 
of. The 


s 


"~i-:n 


i-7 


ie hairy gown. '1 


ae Duke's 



1 must now beg your permission (unless yc 
ve some other design) to have your ver=, 
inted. They appear to me extremely eurrtc 



r friends, which many of u 



A\ hen you pay your premi 
Braes of Ochtertvre, Mr and I 
Balgowan beg to have the plea: 
ing you to the bower of Bessy 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBKAKY 



No. WWII 
PROM MB A M 



I nrrWc! from (broad, l 

11 nj hand* : tlie pli If 



which place I shall 
will be 11 I 

puldir.""" 



Your merit nnd 






the f.dli.wina; ha.lilj ¥ 



• ii-». 



K.irfa' 



' yonr pen. my dainty Rob, 



. r-olh. I'll ni 
Yr ^id lh. poor linns v 

Her dting word, upbraid }i 

UidMtfkd .1 



And l»k him 

■euoiom Uwlai.tl chiel. 



Like joo to Yen* 
Par fr- like ton cat 

And .kelp auld wi 












ErV'L'fi" ^ 



UnRmayyoull 



No. XXXVIII, 
FROM MR J. RAMSAY, 

w. YO\ WO, vi i : 

Ochtvrtyrt, 22<i Odohrr, 17S7. 

BM Mr Burn., whoM 

I 



h Hi, mm. 



g bu b, 



■ of out 

, u h 



I 

i 

HOI llllllk II llil : 

lure with a ump 



HUio 


'.'pi,, 




I h 






„..• U]i llir gboat 




to inl 










; -l-cted aira 




■nil the fa 


dioua mu.ician. 






Bm i 


,1 be t,,,- Ih.lt 


...,-11, fwbora 1 


looka 


,.,, .1, 


Ibe Homer of muiic) in out of 








e;-Uii., how- 






out of in} pro\ 






\i", ll„ 




uf .inging Ibrae 




ir&rfe. 


and, if he en 






1 do , 




',',,. Ofli of lb«n 


■ 


up,„. l 


e .lage, in lh 


original Mvlc, 



I am very »orry we are likel} to meet ao ael- 
dom in this mi:.'hb..>urbood. It ia one of ihe 
greamt drawbacks that aitenda ob.curii}, that 
one baa ao few opportuntiea of cultivating 
acquaintance! at a di.tance. I hope, bow- 
I nc or other, lo hare the plea.ure 
of beat ng up jour quarter! at Er.kine, and 
i.f hauling you away to Pni.lej, &c. im-..n- 
. , ..-„ :.:.,,, b-r-1 i ,j .Me.«ra Boog 
and Mjlne. 

If .Mr B. go*, by , gire him a billet 

on our fri-i.d Mr Stuart, who, 1 prwuinr, 
•• frown of bi> dioatan. 

Your .i.o.i obedient h, n 



BURNS LETTERS. 

cf Edinburgh. We frequently repea 



MR RAMSAY TO DR ELACKLOCK. 
OchUrtyre, 27th October, 1787. 



Von maj 


tell M 


I'm 


ds, whe 


iyc 


a see h 


a: Cuui;, 


lEdmc 










at hi, c„i 


sin, Ct 


>'■'" 


George 


Cra 


wford. 


s P euLt" 


r.">h-r 


Rut 


£ r <V 


a ■ 


Vmer'n 


'f'-L u'.'i 


lij,,;' } 


.1- Ji 


l.Ma&l* 


'r 


c'q'uair" 


if-rct... 


That 










a "='V 


;:;■;; 


y ^ 


wari -I 


the 
JoL 


':: . 








W h,,l 




Crawfo 



impany when in that capital. 

ay let me know if you have any intentioi 

ould afford matter t\,r a'.ar-e p. ,-m. ''};.,! 
you would have an opportunity of indi.li.-i,,. 



d tongues, who make it, as it were, 
! of their commerce. 

: my respectful compliments to Mrs 



He wa» 


7i 


L 


dy 


jung 


-■■ 


eis fa 




;■: 


in 


J 


oM 


bar 
sB 


l/r,„ 



as he did ! if you do, you can never" be 
,ppy. I feel myself grown serious all at 
, and affected in a manner I cannot de- 
e. I shall only add, that it is one of the 
lest pleasures I promise myself before I die, 

I revere more than that of any person that 

1 am, my dear Friend, 

JOHN MURDOCH. 







No. XL. 






F 


aoM j 


R JOHN 


M 


.-R.DOCH. 






London, 


28 


k Octobe 


-, 1787 


Asmyf 
to your 


iend.M 
ne.gho 


rBrown, is 
urhood, 1 


s z 


&X 


e oppor 


t unity o 


















«-i< 




o'f bein 


letter. 


i; ;,';' e 










1 see th 




uMhreeye 


oh 


'no/nm' 


,;,\': 






lotlnng to 


i 






but that 




-, busv. b 


stli 








ch taken 






pursuits 


in win 


h we are h 


ere 


-" 


thatn 



No. XL I. 

FROM MR 

Gordon Castle, 3 1st October, ] 






Your song I showed without producing the 
mthor ; and it was judged by the Duchess to be 
he production of Dr Beattie. I sent a copy of 
t, by her Grace's desire, to a Mrs M'phersou 



d it likewise, by Lady Charlotte's desire, 
look belonging to her ladyship, where it is 
in company with a great many oilier poems 
and verses, some of the writers of which are 
is eminent for their political than for their 



aoudou, -.uil as much as they 



DIAMOND CABINET I.IIIUAUY. 



t>oetical abilities. 'When the DucbeW 




n- 


•• Tune j 




,!„• 








vou bad written the vcr.es in S.-utc 








irtbii 


Am Inter directed lo me here » 


u 






have it 


hand safely, and. if •rut under 




Dua 




Bk inner, 


M.tr, ii will likewise come free; 






can fnt 


luii,; a» the lluk.- i» in this country 



















" There 


No. M.U. 








Had g! 



i BOM THE BEY. JOHH skinn 

UK, Lintharl, jYownlcr Ufa, 1 



poetic eogace,„e„t. I ail down Ids 

lug genius, and jour o| on oi 

. are both, 1 think, 1> far too high. 
Inetf of edu- 

favour. and give,, uu ll 

I know a classical " 

lastc. Lot it unglitil) im. 

uaMta il ; and thought 

• »• ground 

Ud neither cramped l l 

llOa, I Will .!»&). .li.ll.lll ll.r ju — 

, riot claim to apple... 
' 1*10, this Mar. I hate had almost 
Ip.m childhood, e»pc. 





■ 




.11 :■ 






food 


>m for CAna 








eh 1 had tj heart e, 


1 >u 




•- 


. «nd 






1 










1 














1 . ran 










































' 


jod mi eapeti 


'"'"• * 





would aJwav. wish lo k* respeclcd. 

A» lo the aaaislanee itM propose from me in 
s.ng joa are engaged io.x 1 am 

and jou, perhaps, expect. M. 

lost that taste. There are two from im ovst, 
. I might give jou. if worth the 
I to the old Scorch tune of Dum- 
barton', Dnau. 

The other perhaps too have met with, aj 
jour noble friend the I>'ucbe-» has, I am loid, 
heard of it. It was squeezed out of me bj a 

commodate a new Highland reel lor tae Mar- 



ldles, tune them iwee'lj, "iie. 

inter your pnmowi yea Mb] 

i brother ol a, Mr .latins 

in Edinburgh, who, 1 bellow, 



,<ee wifeikie wu coming frna 
tile tlrapikie, which brtd bl r 
K miIic's heart, und.be begun 



I have heartl "f another new com;.. 
•.young ploughman oi mj aomiaintuM, that 

I am vaalli nut I "lib, Is UM of The 

Atrmar. ./'.'. wb oh I ftni won t do, aa the 

I I 

readme., to . . tribal* m J 

lou have o- ..ml what 

ran Dual oi iba •bovaaball b 

Meantime, while jou are thus publlr.iT, I 
ma; aay, employed, do not .heath your OWN 
proper and piercing wriii.uu. from nhil 1 

.irtue and 
morality. .... | -lyle, and 

tiu would dofrou I. 

. wbal cornea will br'od- 
hnui1lln«i especially 



OH from hit poet- pen, all success, 
and in in} other character, all bappmesa and 

.1.111. 
I ROM MBS 

A' 1- Cattle, 30/A Kotembcr, 1787. 

I hope joo will 



d :.■ | 



r ;.,: 



Kilravock, Wtirrtabirr 





BURNS.— 


LETTERS. 




103 


punctual perforn 


ance of your parting promise, 


the bottom a name that 


shall ev 


er value with 


that has made m 




grateful respect, "I ga 






but mereiy the t 


ifficulty" I had in getting the 


spak." I was nearly a 




truck as the 


Highland songs 




friends of Job, ol aiflic 




ing memory, 






seven nights, and spake 




ven ys au 


shall i convey a 


long with them those graces 






they acquired fr 












of the hill of Kildrummie ! 


I am naturally of a su 




s cast, and as 


These I must 


















s functions, I 






cast about what th;., ma 


iaofyot 




make them still 


ribrate in the ears of memory. 


tend. My foreboding ide 




e wide stretch 



To her I am indebted for getting t] 
botes. They are clothed with " thou* 
breathe, and words that burn. ' ' Thes 



so many things, pen 

you may be induce 
That the old castle o 



your very flattering 
Addison's; at any 
that " friendship w 



gratitude, and the i 
The friends of ! 



looking at your pict 



ate, allow me I 

I maintain the g. 

f your fame, sos 

II be received « 
of your genius 



; or St Peter's 
it I come on. 



tire, H. L. or 
t ill-digested lu 



Mass J. M. 
At best they 



eternal as the heroic swell of magnanimity, and 
the generous throb of benevolence, shall look 



No. XLV. 

TO MRS DUNLOP. 

Edinburgh, 21sJ Januar 
weeks confinement, I am bi 
oss the room. They hav< 



'rely j wretch, by selling cut. Lately I w 
Idler enough ; now I march to the c 



As soon as T can bear the journey, which 
Edinburgh, 17S7. will be, I suppose, about the middle of Jeit 
5 o elated with h 's success we -k, 1 >a-.e Edinburgh, and soon after I shall 
letermined by a coup de pay my grateful duty at Dunlop-House. 



DIAMOND CVIJ1.NET LIBRARY. 



No. XLYL 
KXTKACT OF A LrTTER. 

TO Till 

h, 12lA February, 1 

Religion, toy bououred Madam, has uul 
been all my life my chief dependence, bu 
ueare.1 enjoyment, I have iodc-l I 
, rd rallies; but ala. ! I 

bit character ; au IrreU 





1 








That 1 






1 1.1. r. 1 








Ua bu >bi 


em^ed 




1 bale an un;ro.iwi 






.or., iban 1 do lb* 










m.T be la.call 






















■• ' 




affur d lu pau b; uo 






. 



palalar «ho 

Our* inc *o Old iw.-w.tr. a. Dr Heattie ta}. lo 






my U t ., 



- ooor held, bat o f 
- 
Ling bad .be l.en w.' tuff, and tl«gs, 

■mjatMl .triage, aud peea. 



KLTUL 

TO MR ROBI.HI I L 



a track of melancholy joj leu muire, between 
UallowiJ mid A . r.li.rr. It being Sunday, I 
turned m> thought! to p.alrn., and bymoo, ud 

; and .our favourite ai'r, C'aptui'ji 
: at length in ,„, head, I ltitli 

■ it. YoU Kill >ee that the It* 

part of the luue oiu.l be repeated. I 

lj |.|-a>ed «illl Ihe.e WI1M, but 

with you u> in it they rail the orealure of tin 



i. effaced aluioal • 



I LBQHOBJT. 

Saughlon iliU; 171 



ur, Captain O'KmH. 



would hate it in (he Jacobil* »t_. . 

lag after ibefaial held of ( ..llodm 
bj ibe unlorluna'e Cbarleal Tenducci p-rao- 

. Mar} Smart in ih- 
Mary", Lamrnlalnm.— Why may ... 
ibe pel ton of ber great- great-great grandaou t ' 



I ard gite* the tint iUuii of lb* 
CkrtatUr, LumrnL 

loot Ihi. id. ice. The whole of 
tbi. beautiful aoag, a* it >u afterward* bniab- 



The tmall bird* rej.ice in ibe green iea.ea re. 
Tbe murmuring ttreamlet wind, clear thro 
Mara io ihe dew. of Ik. 
red co*tlipa bedeck tbc grui 

Bat what can giee pleuare, or what can (eca 
e lb* lingering moment* are numbered oi 
X» !»»". eaily •pringmg, nor bird* f lwj 
Can kootue, tue ud bo.om of jojlat* *a»aii> 



BURNS. -LETTERS. 
have in country business you ] Dryden, and Tan 
nay vary from each other, b 
to hear from you soon. IM 



ROBERT CLEGHORN. 



No. L. 

TO MRS r>Ui\ T LOP. 

MADAM, Mauchline, 23th April, 17SS. 

indeed, as I assure you they made in.,- m- it 

Whitsunday, you will easily guess I must be 
pretty busy ; but that is not all. as I oil tne 



Your books have delighted me; Virgil, 

The deed that I dared could it merit theii 
A king and a father to place on his throne ? 



No. LI. 

FROM THE REV. JOHN SKINNER. 

D.tAR sir, Linsharl, 2S(A April, 178S. 

ou have fa'voured me with, and would have 
lade oroner acknowledgments before now, but 
iarily engaged in mat- 



in plex 



thank you for this 



■ te.-in i utii tile gift am: t!ie ;nei ; 'as a small 



ition than what he picked up at an old 
iv grandfather's fireside, though now, by 
trength of natural ports, he is clerk to a 
ing bleachiield in the neighbourhood. 



she has lately helped him up. 


S'v 


p'leased me when 1 lirst Law it, if that 
any recommendation to it. The other 


brfore'wWtsunda '" StilT, madamrTpre? 


is euti 




pared with the sincerest pleasure to meet : oa 


.:lld y 


u may make use of one or both as you 


at the Mount, and came to my brother's on 






Saturday night, to set out on Sunday ; but for 
ot °the win' " and rain 








* CHARMING NANCY. 














&c. In consequence, I was on Sunday, 




Tans— " Humours of Glen. " 


Monday, and part of Tuesday unable to stir 






out of bed, with all the miserable effects of a 




sing of sweet Molly, some sing of fair 


violent cold. 




Nelly, 


You see, madam, the truth of the French 


And 


some call sweet Susie the cause of their 








semblable ■ your last was so full of expostula- 


Some 




tion, and was something so like the language 


And 


some love to sing of the Humours of 



it thee, my dear Nancy, gin thou w 

auty delights n 
pleasant behav 
ore, my swe> 

Consent, my dear Nancy, t 



it my sufferings thus vvrei 
r'allant friends 'tis your ruir 



DIAMOND CAI1INET LIBRARY. 



Her yellow locks shining in beauty combining. 
My cboxminz, sweet Nancy, will thou be 



I'll seek through the nation for some habita- 

To shelter niy dear from the cold, snow, and 

• to my deary, I'll keep her aye 

My charm, ii-, sweet Nancy, gin thou w.rt 

I 11 work at my calling (0 furnish thy dwa 1 i.g, 
Wilbev'n thing nm 



n ibou wert 

Fot what it my Nancy should alia 

forward and fain, 
■■■pel her, but plainlt I 
Begone, thou false .Nancy, Hwu'k ne'er be 
my am. 

THE ■ ! 

Dumbarton '» Drama. " 
J',v TBM Kr.VKIlK.ND J. Si. 
0: why .hould old age so much M 



■ Latin 



IV. 1 fa 



Green, printed nt Alerdeen some years ago; 
the other Iialrachomuomachia llomrri Latinm 
Mrmottf cum aiidituwrtiiit, given in lately to 
Chalmers, to print if he please*. Mr ('. will 



rm/ier. hemper deled 



,a mixta joci.. 



No. LII. 

TO PROFESSOR ITLGALD STEWART. 

SIR. NnuMine, 3d May, 17ST. 

buve any inllu ■• with tlinl urcut, unkuoMii 

irames the chain of causes and 
mutes proeperitj and happiness will attend 
• our ».»■! to the Continent, and return you safe 
to tour ..nine shore. 

I in, alum roe, lir, to claim it ta 

are 1 could 

■ i] it w hi. uuih, that, next to my Intl.: bine, 
and the buying it iu my power 10 



\\.- hate ph 



st of our guinea*, O. 



Ve baie plenl 

And the, . 
More desirable by far. 
Than a pock full of poor yellow sleeniet, 0. 

We have seen many wonder and fcrley, 0, 
Of changes that almost are 

i. lulk, up and down, 
Both in country and in town, 
Who now li»e but scrimply, and bureU, O. 



We began in the world wi" nee't 

, _nd loil'd tor the ae 

We made use of what we had. 
And our thankful hearts were glad. 
When we got the bit meat ana the ciaitb- 

We have lived all our lifetime contented, 0, 



Y.-l we ueter were reduced to need charity, I 

In this house we 6rst came together, l), 
W here we've long been a father and Milber, 
Andtbo' not of (tone and lime. 

And, 1 hope, we shall never need anil her, I J 



Yet we n. 



* ... i 



rd. 0. 



We n» 'er thought of schemes to be wealthy, ( 
liy ways that were cunning or stealthy, O, 

B.lt we ■ . 

And what farther could we wisi. 
To be picased wi' ourselves, and be healthy, ( 



To a belter house than this, 
To make room for the neit generation, O. 

Then why should old age so much wound us 

There is noting in it all to confound us, V : 
For how happy now am I, 
With.... aniu wife sitting by, 
our bairns and our oes all around us, 0, 



BURNS LETTERS. 



more comfortable to those whom nature has I 
made dear to me, I shall ever regard your , 
countenance, your patronage, your friendly 
good offices, as the most valued consequence of , 



TO MRS DUNLOP. 



but the Georgics are to me by far the best c 
Virgil. It is indeed a species of writing en 
tirely new to me ; and has filled my head wit 






|f ideas of him; though I 
iicisms must be very in; 
t, as there I have ever fel 



No. LIV. 
TO THE SAME. 



what I^ee^round me) tha^n the'°impor Ell 
opulent bestow on their trifling family affair 



splendid carpet, and the gay table sparkled 

partakers, and equally noble partakers of the 
same nature with madame; are from time to 
lime, their nerves, their sinews, their health, 

ua\, a good part of their very thoughts, sold for 

mouths and years, , 

not only to the i 



< of i! 



We 



talked of the insignif 

cality, did some of the poor devils the honour 

his breast, who taught "Reverence thyself." 



No. LV. 
TO THE SAM 



Ellisland, 13th June, 17S 

•' Where'er I roam, whatever realms I see 
My heart, untravell'd, fondly turns to thee 



This is the second day, my honoured friend, 

mate of an old, smoky spence ; far from every 
object I love, or by whom I am loved ; nor any 
acquaintance older than yesterday, except Jenny 
Geddes, the old mare I ride on ; while uncouth 
cares, and novel plans, hourly insult my 

j-etr.-eem 1 -ri-r than the life. Extreme'sen. 
sibilit, , irritated and prejudiced on the gloomy 






cargo i 



nadam, is just; lam indeed 



ile, literally and truly c; 



108 

mercy of the nake A eler 

ing with a fellow-cn 

I be most placid pood 



diamond cabinet lidraky. 



. = itefully devoted goo 
ar.d iprightly cbeerfulii?-». >h uil 10 ibe 1.-1 lo mention the irreparable mm of the egg. 



i.-uie; tbe>e, I think, in a woman, may nui- 
m rood wife, though ,he should never have read vplaen, lor t 
■ . ScWpftrm ej the 



\ l.l. 
in MB P. HILL. 



gel one of the deal i ibem, Cunningham. 

'J he brutality, 

»nrl.! uiiworlhv ol huvin? sllc h „ |. 

» II' 

. ibing ll.nl will make 
I. mi ii I, til. . 

A, to lioneat J S e, lie is inch 

a contented happy man, that I know not what 



1 ot Blot 






n I. mil. 

it happened to be a com law, 1 n ihera pro- 

hii will, ordrrrd hit •erranta great 

I 

fa eg at thi) to place ill. in far, tar nLoie lilt 

1 loa a man of worth, 

■ 

palate that i 

ban any of theae akagreeablt Dnmfrii 

- 

IWein ni • .. e, a man 

poaiiiiely of 'the Aral abilities and creates! 

I of the lest 






* Printer of the Eiiuburgh Evening Cooranb. 



.lurch, u . 
le poatage. 



No. I.Vll. 



amerling al 'ihe p.ncli of oi, ireful circum- 






TO MBfl 1 






n. but if you add a tankard of 


NauMi'.e, 2d AuguH, 1788. 


'. and superadd a magnum of right 


MAI. AM, 


Oporto, yoo will see his sorrows vanish like the 


Your kind letter welcomed me jetternight. 




you at the quantum of your lucipcnny ; Lut 


G 1 — h, tbe tariievt friend, except my 


only brother, that I have on earth, and one of 


vexed and hurt ai I *•>, I could not help 
.-. heart 1) at Ibe noble lord'* 


ibe worthiest fcllow» that ever any man called 


by the name of friend, if a luncheon of my 
■Id help to rid bim ot - 


napkin. 


I would write you Irom Mlhadale, and give 






give. t him. 


opportunity of calimg at a post-office once in 


hhii Courortf cornea, too. across 


n ilumfriea. 


.. ueip bim 


am scarcely ever in it my-elf, and, ai yd, have 


largely from the said ewe-m'uk cheese, to en- 


little acquaintance in the neighbourhood. 



t A dob of ... 



BURNS.- 

resides, I am now very busy on my farm 



eth its own sorrows, and a stranger inter- 
these " sorrow's "fThe ' heart, " is a kind i f 

" Heaven oft tears the bosom-chords 

Yen will excuse this quotation for the sake 


The little fate bestows 
Unlike sage, proverb 'd 

Let prudence 'number o 
Who life and wisdom a 
Who feel by reason anc 

Ye wise ones, hence ! 


who give by rule ; 

wait upon 1 should 
A, but who feels they 

■e hurt the social eye 


of the ami, or. ln,i.-ad ot entering on tins M,b- 

I wrote in a her-miase i elon-iug to a gentle- 
nan in my Ni!h=dale neighbourhood. They 


Here the muse left n 
what vou tell me cf An 
never received it. Po 


e. lam astonished 



n clad m 



hither 



Life i: 

Sprung from night, in darkrie=-i lost ; 
Happiness is but a name. 



Peace, the tenc 




Pleasures, inse 




Those that sip 






flies thy own : 


Those that woi 


Id the bloom d 


Crush the locu 




For the future 


be prepared, 




r thou canst gu 


But, thy uluios 


t duly done, 


Welcome wlia 




Foilies past gi 




Make their o-n 




Keep the name 




And dishonour 


not thy kind. 


Keverence will 


lowly heart 



le Eeadesni: 
am in the wi 



:elai 



following w 



hopes depend, .Mr lirahain of F.ntr, "; on,- 
the worthiest and mo,l accomplished gentlemei 
not only of this country, but I will dare to se 
it, of this age. The following are just the br 
crude thought, '■ U:ihuu s cU 'c, lliimiuinted, u. 
aneaU'd." 



Ah, that "the friendly e 



audi by telling me that he is unfortunate . 
hall be ill Ayrshire ten days from this date. I 
lave just room for an old Roman farewell. 



No. LVIII. 
TO THE SAME. 
Mauchline, 101A August, 178S. 

Yours of the 24th June is before me. I found 
it, as well as another valued friend— my wife 

with the sincerest pleasure. 

When I write you, Madam. I do not sit 
down to answer every paragraph of yours, by 
echoing every sentiment like the faithful com. 

may perhaps le guilty of neglecting -onie of jour 
kind im.uir.fs; but not trom jour verj odd 



DIAMOND CAB1.NET LIBRARY. 



iid., ud who could trifle with such a 



1 o.-.neaVly /anry 


more agreeable compa- 


n„ n lor niy journey 


1. UpOU HIT 


U MB, I have noul 




slai.ee. 




Circumstanced as I 


am, I could never have 










lavourite authors, & 


c. without probably eo 


tailing on me, at the 




ing, fantastic caprice. 


>erhaps api>b aJVeclalion, 




„cd boarding-school ac- 


ijuirrmrut., which ( f-irdonnr: mot, maJamc 


• re sometime* to be 


ound among femalea of 


the upper ranks, but 


almost Ui 


vadelbe mi,,.-, of the 


would-be-geu.rj. 



elioue. thoughts that are the spoutaiico 
g health, place, or company, have often 



cngth , 



J tat .. 



«nd siudi d paragraphs. For me, 1 have often 

thought »<l . .-rrsjlort, by 

my reason fur wriling to you on paper of tail 
kind, M n | lu you at 

Urge. A • dissocial. 



N 1 l\. 

. I6£A /Israel. 1788. 

-reofrieod. 
1 want only 

•• Why droop* my heart with fine ed woe* 
ka my tool beneath each wintry 

M] increasing care* in thi», M jet. Mil ge 

. vobj conjectures in the dark v.»ia 

awn inability 

- r-rsle of the world — my broadened 

: orrooe tt,e >er, thread of li' 
To counterwork these baneful fe-li 



science. Pardon me, ye, my adored house- 
bold gods, liideprn.i. uce of Spirit, and Iuleg- 
my oi Soul! lu ib.- course of conversation, 
J.iAnj.rn's Mutical Museum, a collicimn of 
Scottish song, with the music, waa talked of. 
We got a song on the harpsichord, begin- 



" Having wind, around her blowing. " 

The air was much admired : the lady of the 

bouse asked me win. 

•• Mine, madam -they are Indeed D ) r«n best 

them.' The old Scottish proierb says, well, 
" king's catr is belter than iiber folk's corn. " 
I .1 imenl nuota- 

lion about •• costing pearls;'" but that Would 
be loo virulent, for the lady is actually a wo- 
man of sense and lasts. 

After all that baa been said on lb* otba 
side of the uur.lii.li, man is by 
happy crealurr. 1 .l„ nol spesk'ol the select- 
ed lie, favoured by pulls! Ii.avni, whose 
souls are tuned lo gladues, amid riches and 
I ..ud wisdom— I speak 
cd many, sv| 



I. Jc uiul Age uj Afu/i, bs- 



I had an old grand-uncle, with whom my 

i r girlish tears ; the 
ud old mu, for such be was, was' long blind 
■ he died, during which nine, 1, 

-" »<"' "J. ""'I* •"« 
. hi pie old song of T/w 
L.frvuiA;- 

II i. thu way of thinking- it i. 



naginalion of enthusiasm, 
■ What truth on earth • 



ss 



al, but the necessities I 
the cold philosophizinga the lie. 
for the heart weaned from earth ; 



upon my soul 1 siwi; 



with heaven; 

! ,ullb»nk.givi 



' ■:.• ■ 



—,, ..™, i.oui the lady of the house quite 
flattering. She sometimes bits on a couplet or 
two. impromitu. She repealed one or two ' 
u> the admiration of all present. My suffrage 

went agomz.ng over tie be.iy of my cuu- 



i Ibeir precious importance and divine efn- 

rsses of disappointment, aiiixMion, poverty, 

I am sure, dear madam, you are now avore 

lau pleased with the IrtigfA of my letters. 1 

i Idle of aexl w».k : end 

quickens my pace to tbiuk that tone wiU 



LETTERS. 

The order 'd 

Nature well pi 
But ere she ga 
Half-jest, she 



No. LX. 
TO R. GRAHAM OF FINTRY, ESQ. 

When I had the honour of being introduced 

soon°of ^kingYfavour'ofyou. When Lear, 

tobeinhT^. •■'fiecaJsevou 

have that in jour face which I could like to 



some filial and 

ner, which 1 1 
Lie parent in 

friend, rescued 

to have a claim 01 






help of rigid economy, I will try to si 
that independence so dear to my sou 
which has been too often so distant fro 



She form'd of various parts the various m: 
Then first she calls the useful many fort 



And merchandise' whole genus take th 

The lead and buov are needful to the net : 

The caput mortuu'm of srross desires 

Makes a material, for mere knights £ 



The i 






■in? lab 



Such as the slightest breath of ai 
With arch alacrity and conscious 
Her Hogarth-art perhaps she mes 
Creature, though oft the prey of 



\V!,.-.i 



A being fori 



is'd to-di 






t of all the ills of 1 



Prone to enjoy each 
Yet haply wanting 
longing to wipe 

Yet frequent* all unl 

But honest Natut 
She laugh 'd at fir 

Pitying the propleai 

Auich , o U Si P rn r t t o h th 



— tho' humbly takes 



is'd, did bliss on them d< 



Ah, that " the friendly e 
friend!" 



But come, ye who the godlike pleasure 
Heaven's attribute distinguish 'd-tobes 
Whose arms of love would grasp the 



Frientl of nni life, true patron of rov rhvmi 
Prop ofmv'dearest hopes for future times, 
Whv shrinks mv soul, half llurhiiis.h-.lf • f 
Backward, abash 'd to ask thy friendly aid 
I know my need, I know thy giving hand 



1's pride sufclirr 
begging prose. 



DIAMOND CAUIRRT LIBRARY. 

rk. ho* their Ufly indepeiulcn 



Nark, ho* tlinr U fly independent spirit hi bil prt _t. ... but li! r n irur P . 

Soar, on the spurning » imr ol' injuied merit : making, kindle, in In- 



Iu all lb* clamorol 



; lark-shrill ton* 
the carol enda. 






I placed by 



N I \i. 

! HILL 

iboaJ three 



limple, and widest, u 
strength of hii pinion : L 

Lbo i,kc 



■ 

. language, fur au »ub- 
■ <Jreal mug of waters, llielnr I- 

margin of an hundred miles. " 

: .liuws mounlaini bin 
. the Impri ,. rain - ii.- 

.. w tree 
..Ibrad." 
r.c. are beautiful. A Ihun.ler turn is a Mis- 
led telrcuni 
stance, ao far u 1 know, n.l.il, oiigiual : 






I think lb* AUrra i,. i« simplicity, bar. 
• o lb.' s 

Iwked iaio nature for himself: you mm with 
no copied „.»er,pt,on. One particular cnti- 

. ' aaid too much." II 



lo Cnliai 






of .1. author to be n 

l """ lK -'' of i.alnral hiatal] or of chemistry 
fa» wanted to enable him 10 execute the ori- 
ginal conception correctly. 



ilifully fancied. IN. 1-oo.uud's "Ion,, 

'I' p." "a good expression; and ike 

ounding win from ii is truly great ; Ibc 



it Hell described ; and km, be U 

. poem wiih a little of thai passion 
whn-h bids fair. I think, lo usurp i: 
muses aliogctli r. 1 know not b a 
episode i. a beaul) upon the »l, 

■vn h<-r •• partial lu» 
leninp ear," i. n pretty thought. Hut. in my 
opinion, the n,,l beautiful paasag.s in the 
whole poem, an the fowls crowding, in winlry 
" hospitable flood ;" 
their wlie-i 

dising, lie. and the glus-ioua itterripl 
sportsman. Tl is last is equal to aj 
the .Seasons. 1 be idea of • • the floating u-.Le» 
distant seen, f-i glittering lo the moon," pro- 
voking bis e 

is a noble raj I f poetic genius. " 'lb- howl- 
ing winds.''' the •• h.deous roar" of "Ike 

I forget that whk lam ihna holding forth, 
with the he., 1-ss waruilL of an .nlbu-ia.!, I 
am perhaps tiring you ail 



BURNS.— LETTEI 



••The gleaming lake," &c I dare not go 



No. LXII. 

TO MRS DUNLOP, AT MOREHAM 
MAINS. 

Mauchline, 13(A November, 178S. 

I had the very great pleasure of dining a 

" U m'°n IT"^-' ^''^ ar e e k 5a 'if it fs^scf 
poets must be weaker still ; for Missea R. and 
K. and Miss G. M'K. with their flattering 



friendlj welcome" elegant manner, and 
remark, lest I should be thought to ba 
my orientalisms of applause over again; 



* The poem entitled An Address to Loch 
Lomond, is said to be written by a gentleman 
now one of the masters, of the Hi-h School at 
rd.ntursrh, and the same v. ho translated the 
beautiful story of the Paria, as. publ.shed in 
the See of Dr Anderson. 



deuce is entv.is.led with the beart- 

a ha;i;e. "u i\ of •• The feast 01 leaso'n 






inso 


ence to t 


be fallen, ar 


held 


by all nun- 










ives of the 






Even the u. 


i.app 




mpa 


of his f 
ate brotht 


r I we forge 


ts'ol 

the i 


— who' it.: 
ujuries, and 


1 w c 


nt last \V 


ednesday to my pa 


ish church. 




ord.all, t 


join iu gra 




cknowledg- 






thor of all Good, 




quen 




s of the gl 






o th 








io less thai! 
















sent Royal Fanii- 




ruling fe 
















ubiety and 




ess of hi 








Bred 


and edu 




lution 


principles. 


































icU the re 












a which, 1 










jage of the 


TJ. 




e-u;ce = ui-V'i 


a:,;." 






■ Iron, p. 


stevjs, with 




aellj raki, g 


pthe 


ashes of 


l.Ose, whose 


m = l. 


tune it was, 



"The bloody and tyrannical House of 

Stuart," may be said with propriety and jus- 

K/:m\\7a\ia\heteMin,'.',,t\ o'l o'u'r ' u'i , s, ;' L ul 
is ther'e no ah. jwai.ee to be made for the man- 
ners of the tunes :- M ere the ro.al contempo- 

subjects' rights? Might not the epithets of 



appliec 



e House of '1 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



r KB dark age* of ignorance and bar- 
lie Vuart. onlj contended for prerofetitee 
which the, knew their predece«»or» enjo,cd, 

l"jinf ; but tbe.e prerogatives were mimical to 
tha happinesa of a nation, aud the rigbu of 



bad latel, dawned o»er Europe, the inuiiarcb 
of France, for example, waa >i- 
lb* aim?.- pit : with u., 

luckilj tbe nourth failed, and hi. unwarran- 
table prel^: 
and bappinc.e. Whether it «i. 

ling of parlie.. I cannot pretend to determine; 
a, bappiU fur u». tbe kingl, power 
waa .bified into another branch of the famil,, 
who, aa the, owed tbe throne eolel, to the call 
of a free peiiple, could claim nol.'i 



laughed at lor the lolly and impractical. lit, of 

1 . l.d I Mi. Th.l the, 



. «. i„,' .„ aralM u. t 



No. \.\l\. 
Ill MI1S 1)1 Mi.l'. 
E/Iblna, 17M Dcr.ni 



and 'wboli, deaf, '■ are melancholy new. of bu 
man nature; l,ul when told of a much lo.-d 

.ironglj eutwi.ted ilwlf among tbe dearest 
chuida of ui> bo.om ; and 1 tremble at t - 
omen, of ,..ur late and preeenl ailing babll. 
and .bailer. d health. Y..u nlaemlemlala B t> 
■rmilitnr on 
you. le.l ii .!„.. .Id hurt my worhll. 
M, ..mil ..-.Uui fanning ia exceedingly more 
.iinple an. I eaa) than what ,ou have lately 
.e a .i Mnstutn .Main., liut be that a. u 
.it of the man, and llie I n > ..I 

mpan liie be,l part of the func- 
tion, uf in, wal iminornl. 1 baVd 

..laeued with Ul idea, .uperior 
ind picking up (rube : 









. a. a., in^Ko- 
and particularly 



retainer..* 



Thia letter waa aeol to tbe pabli.ber of 



Apropoe. I. i..t the sco'.li phraae, 

i lai.r .yne, " exceeding!, expreeaite. 

i. an old tonjr and tune wbicb baa often 

. | knave, I am an 



.Mr Ker will ea.e }ou tne p ..fee. f 

Light be tbe tuif on the brea.l of tbe II* 
.en-umpired poet wbo computed thia gloria 
fragment ! '1 Here i. more of tbe fire of nati 

Ki.rl.h llacct.ana lao-. Now 1 am on ■ 



old alanzaa, wbicb plea. 



mightily. 



II..' I may drink, before I g 

Ku" loud tha wind blawl fi 

t Una followi tbe, of of A. 



BURNS LETTERS. 



The ship rides by tne Berwick-law, 



Nor shouts o' war that's heard afar, 
It's leaving thee, my bonnie Mary. 



No. LXV. 
TO A YOUNG LADY, 






No. LXVI. 
TO SIR JOHN WHITEFORD. 

tK, December, 178S. 

Mr M-Kenzie, in Mauchline, my very warm 
you are pleased to interest yourself in my fate 
dearer) my fame as a poet. I have, sir, in one 
your character in life, -when I was introduced 

honoured acquaintances to me : but you are the 
first gentleman in the country whose benevo- 

fo^me^ 1 ns o licTed and e u r nk n a oVn n . "i am n™ 

to know, nor cid I stay to inquire, whether 

im thank. ng yon in >hi- man:;, r, as I am. con- 
vinced, from the light in which you kindly 

oThim or 'bis worTs^InTeeTthe^itu^ioVo! 

me measure palliate that prostitution of 
and talents they have at times been guilty 



ble dexterity with his pencil. In the acci 
l1 groups of life into which one is thr. 
herever this gentleman met with a char 



with a kind of pride, that will ever keep 
out of the way of those windfalls of fort 



fancy unfits him for the world, and w 
character as a scholar, gives him some pr* 



with the insipidity, affectation, and pride oi 

" after my own heart, " I positively feel what 
an orthodox protectant would call a species ol 

impulse, than an JEolian harp can refuse its 
tones to the streaming air. A distich or two 
would be the consequence, though the object 
which hit i -bearded age: 

young lady whose personal charms, wit, and 
sentiment. ar~ „ .■ _.:;. ... ing and unaffected, 
bv heavens! though I had lived threescore years 

was a married man, my imag nation would 



itended in the least to the manners of the 
Italian, should be so foolish, or worse, as to 

and so inhumanly cruel, too, as to meddle- 

my story! " With a te°ar of gratitude? Ft hank 
you, sir, for the warmth with which you inter- 
posed in behalf of my conduct. I am, I ac- 

caprice, and passion—but reverence to God, 
and integrity to my fellow-creatures, I hope I 
shall ever preserve. I have no return, sir, to 
make you for your goodness but one— a return 
which. I am persuaded, will not be unaccepta- 
ble—the honest, warm wishes of a grateful 
heart for your happiness, and every one of that 
lovely flock, who stand to you in a filial rela- 
tion. If ever calumny aim "the poisoned shaft 



\ . I WII. 

PROM MB 0. m i:w 

Nougut, 1.1 Ja. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIIJKAUY. 

Ilffartnl out, makr* no n 



I b..rju.l I.III L-d 



dear brotbrr, hun food lb« Got 

it portion oi 



Ihi budding i Ireb, and 
r> bawlborn, ibM 1 »ie» and bug a 

I • t>. Ill U klllllt 



■ U 1 Cf>. TtU !■'••, UIJ UM 

wl.ul can Ibil be owiiir? Are » 



s ixvm 

DUNLOP. 



• 



: 



I aboul ibe 
i.»i calm huh- 
: llirw, Iidic 
■ i kind of boli- 



i \l\. 

lo Ui; 

. LU Am. WW. 



UI • ..I....U*. Ibai 

. ami Hie alluir ul«ta)n 

I rl»rrl, |,ul|,.,.« Ul.d 

. '..<■, al 1.I-.I, got »ouir bOMMM 
i . la Willi 









I I ileal of BJ 

•built ol By 









cbaracler. I bate u< 
lb.- apliludr, to l.ar 
gilt Loluonl b» llin, •• »bu form, lb. aecrrl 



» lo a word of I 
Jib d»j of Ihi m 
.- ciutonj of my forefa- 
■ » Mp AoVy. after I.- 

/^l up mi morning ilnuii 
: Uagcal. in ord 

| 



.-Iru.lof in 

• b" tbt U 



r—. 1 pul ofl l., a »rry di.lanl day, a day tbal 

. l-rniined 
< pro.e.-ute witb all lu) viCMBT. Nature lia» 









■ nothing, or next to notl.in. 
t uibalance or uruciore of our «uul. 
Boot account for ibo»« aeeming eapno 



i e lo knowj wbelber .lie ba. rfltalU 

i.me one ba» Lnubed a piece, n baa L'en >.. 

I 
ejr, ibal om 

power, of .1 



most deplorable of all poetic d.seases-heart- 
Lreakins: despondency of himself. Dare 1, sir, 

already immensely indebted to your g.mci.t.-.-, 
ask the auu,[,o„:il o, ligation of yiur being thai 

in' a walk oV,, e- : ton,, "entirely new ; I meal! 
- the epistle addressed to R. G. Esq. or Robert 
Graham of Fintry, Esq. a gentleman of un- 
common worth, to whom I lie under very 
great obligations. The story of the poem, like 

^tting-ofti 

I believe, I shall, in whole, £100 copy-right 

and even part of this depends upon what the 
gentleman has yet to settle with me. I give 

fare. 
To give the rest of my story in brief, I have 



atistied ; 



another 



who supports my agec 

younger brother, and tnree sibiers, in a iarra. 
On my last return from Edinburgh, it cost me 
about L180 to save them from ruin. Not 
that I have lost so much- 1 only interposed 



on this, for it 
I was conscic 
balance was 



nn*e 



"of the 



"" My reque 



No. LXX. 

TO BISHOP GEDDES. 

Ellialand. mar Dumfries, 3d Feb. 



the conduct of tl 
vay pointed out I 



r/oV'ten.' 



nty-hve years of m; 
lim and method ii 






your pardon for detaining so long, that I have 
been tuning my lyre on the banks of Nith. 

imagination, or partly put in execution, I shall 



Edinburgh, I'shall have about the beginning 
of March. 

That acquaintance, worthy sir, with which 



:e of the learned ana the j 



No. LXXI. 
FROM THE REV. P. C— 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



-c of literature, of taate , and poetic genius, sh. 
added an invincible modest; of temper, to 

i.-, .in.! cuiilinrd the perfect know 



fr .in »., a few weeks ago, by an inflammatory 
fever, in the prime of life_bcloved by alt 



ever t 


at woe fell 


upon the head 


ol mortal 


man, it fell 


in. tie has 


eft behind 






number of compositions, 


chiefly poetical; sufficient, 1 imagin 
















. a farce of 








on differ. 




1 




who have 


lived I 










hip with him 














■ 




incomparable poem*. It 



the Boottisb BOM,— aaj a..ow i, 

if it i« your op'moa they ere no 

the author, and will be oo discn 

■i tb* taaliaatl 

they should be immediately pub 

periodical work, to pi" the wof 

of what me. :- 

in the poetic . 

\ller»«rds published for the ad 

hail,. 

I must be? the favour of a l« 



No. l.XXII. 
1 ) MRS DUNLOP. 

Kllidai 



. 178 



Here in I. my honoured friend, returned safe 

bowe»er bumble or remote — if that home is 
like mine, the scene of domestic eomfort_lbe 
1 aalla of Edinburgh will soon be a business of 
s -i.ning dUgUsU 






orld, I bate 



e gaping blockhead 



being with the sceptre of rule, and tl 
nches. in bin puny list, and 1 am kii 
the world, the sport Of folly, or the l 



fin Spain I 



ey.teo, of a. 



deal of labour ui.d absurdity. 1 will DOt de- 
fend ilii, blasphemous speech ; but often, as 1 
have glided witb humble stealth through Ih 
pomp of Prince's Street, it baa si.r: 

man figure, thai a u.a,., In proportion to In- 



new. ..f many of hie Majesty 'a lb 



second of the precise spherical angle or reve- 
rence, or an Inch of iho particular point of 



You are right, madam, ir 



none-, under the title of Scotti.h Porta, that 
the in, t.rni of S.otn.h Poetry borders on 

the burioque. When I write to Mr t , 

I shall advise him rather to try one of bis de- 
ci -u fri-i. I am prod.gi- 

s»ud have reqoeated a perusal of all Mjlne'i 

• !. it would be proper for the pn .,. 
What it is that occupies me so much, and 
perbup. a little oppresses my pre., 
shall Inl up a paragraph in some future letter. 

with a few lines dune by a friend of mine . . 



Like the fair plant that from our touch with- 

Sbrink roildlj fearful even from appi 

'And all you are. my charming , seem. 

Straight as the foxglove, ere her I . 
Mildaa the roaiden-blushiug hawthorn blows, 
Fair as the fairest of each lovely kind, 
Your form shall be the image of yoor mind : 

That all shall long to kuon the worth ti.ey 



BURNS LETTERS. 



No. LXXIIL 
TO THE REV. P. CARFRAE. 

REVEREND SIR, 1789. 



:t that I he 



u looking al 



I am much to blame : the honour Mr Mylne 

stance, of its being the last production of his 

1 have, as you hint, thought of sending a 
copy of the poem to some periodical publica- 

that, in the present case, it would be an im- 
proper step. My success, perhaps as much 
accidental as merited, has brought an inunda- 
tion of nonsense under the name of Scottish 
poetry. Subscription-bills for Scottish poems 

that the very name is in danger of t 

For these reasons, if publishing any of Mr M. s 



■ My In, 



:-:>L;e ; 



let the friends s fame (among 

whom I crave the honour of ranking myself), 
always keep in eye his respectability as a man 



MrMylne'spoems, is this :-l wou.d publish, 
in two or three English and Scottish pubi.e 
papers, any one of his English poems which 
should, by private judges, be thought the most 

one of the productions of a Lothian farmer, 



poetic merits of the deceased ; and to s 
in the most effectual manner, to those 



The gentlei 
MrNeilson 



No. LXX1V. 
TO DR MOORE. 

Ellisland, 23d March, ITS! 
an who will deliver you this 
a worthy clergyman m my nei 



oared to take this liberty with you, but that I 
am told, by those who have the honour of your 



servants and tenants. I know that she was 
dete,ttd with the most heartfelt cordiality. 

to Ayrshire, I had put up ac Bailie Wiguam's 

place. The 'frost was keen, and the grim 
evening and howling wind were ushering in a 

boih much fatigued with tie labour- 
day, aud just as my friend ,the Bailie and 1 
were bidding defiance to the storm, over a 
smoking bowl, in wheels the funeral pageantry 

of the late great Mrs , and poor 1 am 

forced to brave all the horrors of the tempes- 
tuous night, and jade my horse, my young 



cribe what I felt. Suffice it to say, that 



No. LXXV. 
TO MR HILL. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



row, apply to 

:r to compound, something 



O Frugolity ! in. mi mother of 

RMll _ili... i ■ 



ru originally in- 
! in ii miserable 

h. .ii-iin. I 



Imi 



ipibM 



doming Ihj ■ 

. thy need in 
nd inc in thy clutching pul-i 
Ignis, '.nd ii" 



: ,i..l thou Parnassian 

CfSgS, bleak an. I barren, wi.--r^ lli- hungry 

wocrbipprn of fsme arc. brealln. 

inr. banging between hn>M end hrll : but 

P there the all- 

.ll.puMrrful llrll,, \\ 

lie court of joys and pleasures; 
where the sunnr exporare of plenty, end th'- 
hot walls of prufusin ., produce ll 

• sybil, my 

tress, ruber mc into i 

adored pinciift !— The power, splendid and 

potent a« he now is, wu once the paling nun 

In.r of thy faithful care, and uvula arms! 

kinsman, or 

. lad adjure lb<- (rod, by the icnw of 

hi- infant years, BO Longer to repulae me OS a 

hi» peculiar countenance and protection ! II 
daily bestows hia greatest kindnes. on ihr un- 

. re, I will do any thin?. 



ous cau»e of Lucre, I will do any thin 
• 'he borse-leech of prim 
lion, or the rulture of public robbery ' 

10 descend from heroics, .... 



the cheape*t is nUij- the L. -t for 



.■..Miiiiis-i.m for "The MonUmd r-Tumdly 

Society" — a copy of The Speclab;-. Mim,,, 
.u, d V.i.iiHir.T; .Won .;/' Feeling, Man <;/' the 
H..W,/, (iiilhri,\ Cngranhienl ( iramnmr,' v. ilh 
■ome religious pieces, will likely be our lir-t 



but 1 w 

' reeding thee 

1 UN, ».,li.tied. 



Boat (I 



No. LXWI. 
TO MRS in (CLOP. 

. Bd April, )78n. 






ia falber of lictioi 



I aing : If theee murlali, the critics, shoul 
I care not, not I, let the crilici go wbisile. 

may illuatrale and honour my etory. 
Thou, first of our or 



ghrrj., 
m With knowledge 60 vast, and with judgmen 



, of • 



.ne- worth of any thing . 



n at Closeburn. ui. >r the su-pic-sof 
Mthof Closeburn, which will be on 
»cale than ours. C'apu R. gave his 

est days, I shall trouLle you with s 



Good L d. what ii 

he looks 



is depths and his shallows, hia 
ill he's a problem must puzzl 



On his one ruling passion Sir 



a friend, would 
Tull the string, ruling passion, the picture 
■\Vhat pity, in rearing so beauteous a sys- 
One tr.rrng particular, truth, should have 

Mankindls^ science 6 defe^etinmons! 15 ' 



S — LETTERS. 

On seeing a Fellow Wound a Hare u 
April, 17S9. 

Inhuman man! curse on thy barb 'i 
And blasted be (hy muruer-iiui:n 
May never pity sootbe thee with a 

Nor ever pleasure glad thy cruel he; 





Seek, mangled inn 


oceDt, some -wonted f 


Some sort all our qualities each to its 


That wonted for 


u, alas ! thy dying b 




The sheltering 


rushes whistling 


And think human nature thev truly describe ; 






Have you found this, or t'other ? 'there 5 more 


The cold earth w 


th thy blood-stained 


in the wind, 






As by one drunken fellow his comrades you'll 








Perhaps a mother' 




But such is the flaw, or the depth of the plan, 


The playful pair 


crowd fondly bv tbv 


lu the make of that wonderful creature Jaii'd 

Man. 
No two virtues, whatever relation they claim, 


Alt! helpless nu 


rslings, who will no 


That life a mother 


only can bestow ? 



Possessing the one shall imply you're thi 



No. LXXVII. 
TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

MY DEAR SIR, Elhland, ith May, 178: 
Your duty free favour of the 2Sth April 

pliment of ceremony; I perused it, sir, wi 



letter, that not 


you, nor 


your friend, but tbe 


legislature, by express pre 


viso in their postage 


laws, should fi~ 




etter informed with 


the soul of frier 


d-lrp is 


such an honour to 




hat thev 


should order it free 




s to and 




mails, as an en 


- 


nt and mark of dis- 


tinction to super 






I have just pu 




band to a little poem 


which I think w 


11 be som 






eiy as I 




in the helds sow 






the burst of a s 




neighbouring plan- 


tation, and pre 


ently a 




hare came crippling by n 








human U feHow S wh S 


could shoot a ha 




season, when thev 


all of them hav 




ones. Indeed there 


is something in 


thicTa 


ness of destroying. 




in the animal crea- 






s materially, which 


1 could never 


econcile 


to my ideas of vir- 



hapless fale. 



e ruddy drops which warm my 



No. LXXTIIL 



rejlj.] ' 



£.:,"•:'.;-£■'., 2d June, ITS 



•m, I think they 
itmost. This I 



pieces of Mrs Hunter's poetry , tna 
the value of such compositions. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY, 
I, I shall, wilh great freedom, (fire you 
jou would gite me mother edition of 



■( ,Jrd Hart 

jnti bnt 

.' andlherhj. 



Pope hid w'rillrei, 
bosom |uml, " BO« 



■ too. a copj (.. much 

iH I In 

is a pretty pood sub- 
• Irom the l.r.l ; and 

If I wen 
atloni in lb* Bra t»o 



is inlii.ilrly belter. Vo 






. ♦,._•• Who s 



lad leslowcd and us- a i.j protide 

ileal >l>p of the pen, 
■■«, " in the 



No. LXXIX. 

TO MR M'AILKV, OK DUMBARTON'. 



pfak sin. ithJunr, 176t». 

Though 1 an. not without my fears respecting 
nit lull- i J lli.-il prund, unit, r-.il il,,jii. -I . I i : lit 

oild wrof,". common.;, called 27ie Latt ]>oy, 
hi I trust there Is one tin, which that areb- 
regabond, Satan, who, I understand, is la l« 
king's ctidcn.e, cannot throw in my l.rlh-I 
mean ingratitude Then is ■ certain prrtly 
large quantum .1 kind > for ttlnch I remain, 

i 

tbe obligation. It gucs BM n 

pleasure to hear by mj old acquaintance, Mr 

ten .!■ . ii..itol Allon'a 

language, •• Hale and «n-l, and living ;" ond 

that you eharuiini Family ure well, and pro- 

... nuiiable and respectable addi- 

Dipani .,1 perfnraeta, whom the 

i , ma of Man is bring- 

i lo in t welfare, a' subject in 
ind etTi clivals Infer- 

i I am here in my old way, hold- 
ugh, marking the growth of my 
i , .lib of nit dairy ; and at times 
sauntering by tbe delightful windings of the 
Nilb, on il..- margin >.i wbleb 1 hair tuiit my 
bumble domic. le, praying for srasousble wro- 
th. r, ..r holding an intrigue will the Muses; 
I be • i It rjpseys with whom I bate now uny 
As I am amend Into the holy 
sinir of matrimony, 1 trovt my face is ranted 
/.uii.ward ; aud as il is a rule with 
■ II boueet i . rieeaneaa, I 

hope Ibal the little poetic licences of former 
days, willof course fall under ihe obhtioiis in- 

proscription. In my family detolion, which, 

like a good pre.b)lerien, I occasionally give lo 

Id loiks, 1 am extremely fond of 

errors of my youth, " 

>, children aie God's 

last Mrs Hums, who. 



\c. and ■ 

. i. ^s a glorious •• wooa-no'e wiia 
allbcf old sone or psalmody, joins eon ttilb 

c o. Mi. Ututcr'i ilm nnflifsj nf lliiiiltiPi aliaahh 



ooet raay be sup 
thrown bim qmL 



bed by its good sense, thai 
ununiu n j . It ■» impossi. 
the maimer in which tin 

i the sailors say, to has, 



beliese in ibe iron justice of I)r G — 

like tbe devils. I believe and lnmbl< 
lever, he probted by these criticisms, as ihe ' beciouded 

,e poem, with that published aiierwards. 



V.. LXXX. 
TO MRS DUHXOP. 

EUitlmd, 21il June, I75U. 

Will yon tut the effusions, the miserable ef- 
fusions of low spirits, just as they flow bum 
their hitler spring. I know not of any parti- 
cular cause for this worst of all my foe, betan- 



tnickening aimosphcrc 
md gloomy presage*. 

Monday Erenirii 



BURNS LETTERS. 



ail incomprehensibly great Being, to whom 

mately acquainted with the operations and 
progress of the internal machinery, and com.e-. 
quent outward deportment of this creature 
v.hich he has made; these are, I think, self. 



,-ond the grave ; must, I think, be allowed 
iry one who will give himself a moment's 
:tion. . I will go farther, and affirm, t 
ni the sublimity, excellence, and purity 
; doctrine and precepts, unparalleled 



Whatever mitigates the woes, or increase* 

goodness; and whatever injures society at 
large, or any individual in it, this is my mea- 

What think you, madam, of my creed ? I 
\aiue almost next to the approbation of my own 



FROM DR MOORE. 

Clifford Street, 10th. June, 17S9. 



fully to pre, 



re them at you 



poetry. 

The si 
Christ's Kirk on the Green, 



productions you should aban 
luguage of modern Euglis 



All the tine satire and humour of your Holy 

trouble to yourself, von could have convejed 
the whole to them. The same is true of some 
of your other poems. In your Eyislle to J. 



Mr C 








iteto 


copy 


t • y. 


h 


re 


This 
but I 



No. LXXSIL 

FROM MISS J. L 

kik, Lovdon-House, 12th July, 1789. 

sonalfy acquainted with you, yet amongst the 

your publications, may I be permitted to trou- 

somewhat in love with the Muses, though I 
cannot boast of any favours they have aeigned 



House, at present possessed by Mrs H 

she is daughter to Mrs Dunl'op of Dtinlo 
whom 1 understand you are particularly a 
quainted with. As I had the pleasure of pe 



irtunity of seeing you 



«-»«"«••-» 


-'■; 


.o hear thy s. 


Old Ramsay b 


-i, 
i. 


'he'cTelref' 


Loved Thalia 


ii, 


i ddiglitfu' a 


Beem'd lug 






To all she d.d 


h« 


aid refu.e, 
ie« Allan's da 


'Till Burns a^r 






i 


grace hi» lay 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



friendship : yet hoping 
possessed of as mucl 



To Robert Burns. 



u nil) show yum 
eiierosily and g. 
your expo.ii.;: w 



,ure,'l shall lake ibe liberly tu 

Sir, 
Your mosl obedient humble se 



t Loudun-llouso niur i.'uisu/oc. 



No. LX.WI1I. 
FROM MR 



i- when I say, that ihe nncomn'.m 
i render y oi-r 



•irarU blrecl, Sobo. 









1 cannot express my happiness siiffic : enlly i I 


In jni 




locution, who was psi- 


Bui glauced by lb* mo.t i. 


1. n.j.elf and relations. • 


She auuU rrlctil. 


VVhils 1 racollscl »ith pleasure his exlraor<i. 






The daisy too je sins: wi 1 skill ; 


affords me the grcatsal con.olalion, lhat I am 


A, .J »rri ;r prais* Ibe Blhl.kj K ill 1 


honoured wilh the correspondence of his sue- 




ul >iiii|iliciiy and genius. 11...I 




- refined la die art of poetry, mu~i 


While echo sound, from ilka hill. 


readily be admilled ; but notwithstanding many 


lu Hum.', praise. 


favourable representations, I am yet to leani 




thai be inherits bis con.ivial powers. 


or Pope tul hear. 


• uch a ricbnesB of conversation. 


-r.lic rn.,,1 ,rwe. 


such a plenitude of fancy and attraction in 
him, that Hben I call the happy period of our 
intercourse to my memory, 1 (eel myself in a' 


e wilh ihroal a.e clear 


irije 


Their works would a' iu pieces tear. 


state of delirium. I was then JPOilfCT ihan 



And curse jour page. 

Sure Milton's eloquence were faint, 
The beauties of jour verse lo paint, 
My rude unpoli.b'd stroke, but taint 

Their brilliancy; 
Th' attempt would doubtless vex a saiol, 

And weel may me. 


.., feheitOUS, lhat he enraptured every person 
around him, and infu»ed inlo the hearts of the 

operated on his own iniml. 

I am, dear Sir, yours, &c. 


To heaven present my humble prajer. 


No, LXXXIV. 
TO MR , 



The hurry of a farmer ii 



3VRXS LETTERS. 



%on. and the indolence of a poet at all time 
una seasons, will, 1 hope, plead niy excuse fo 
neglecting so long to answer jour obliging let 
ter of the fifth of August. 

That you have done well in quitting you 



>Mheh 


ve written her as she 
rry of this new busine 


of her 
and I 

ell how 


and her compositions 
am happy to add, alw, 
character. The fact 
o write to her ; I shot 



of point, such an elegance of paragraph, ai 
such a variety of intelligence, that 1 can liar 



When I received your letter I was transcrib- 
er the Canoi-gate,' Edinburgh, begging their 
Fergussou, and their edict in consequence of 

....!.. Poor Fergusson! If 

there be a life beyond the grave, ' ' 



and if It 
overall nature, which 
art now enjoying exist, 
where worth of the h. 

pleasure-purchasing p 
and where that heavy ■ 



ood God ] 



ding 



ei»; tin 



those thoughtless, though often destri 

equal oblivion as if they' had never been ! 
Adieu, my dear Sir : so soon as your pi 
views and schemes are concentred in an 

•• far- and happiness is by no means a subject 

Yours, 4c, 

No. LXXXV. 
TO MRS DUNLOP. 

Ellisland, 6/A September, ITS 



who, by the bye, I trusl 



e Era 





Sjn 


e parts 


Vz 


letter of the 20ih August, 


'; 


ite C t 


Tour' 


linu a 


ancholy 
presenU 


oncern for the 




"Wot 


id i « 


uld wr 




■tier of comfort! 


i 


























n po 






Uld equa 


the Iliad, he- 


lie 






ir fne 




true comfort! 


in 


! : ' ; 


g persi 
a pro 

ttmgr 


,..-.!!. 


ii 'a futu 




i" 


,p'le 


so far 


urtho" 


stigation 
sand year 


s, have, in some 










d it. In vain 












to doubt. I 






.self d 




to a very 


daring pitch ; 






en 1 rellected 


that 1 w 








dent w 








of 


rood 




and fly 


ing in the 








let. 111 






shocked at my 
















kn 




whelh 


er I have 




he 


foil 


.wing 




jr if you 




he 






oneo 








ougl 


|«V 


ns" 


.'.V.Ve 
anguage 





ly of battle and of war, ". 



i this, my friend, that streaks our morn- 
ing bright, 

is that (ri.ds the horror of our night, 
wealth forsakes us, and when friends 



'Tis this that wards i. 

Disarms affliction, or re 

Within the ar.-a.t Lids I 



au. Xeluc 
1! A Diet 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



No. LXXXYI. 
FnOM DB BLACKLOCK. 



Edinburgh, 24/A Aucu I, IT: 
IVar Burn., tbou broth- r 



Both for thj i 



li may becnlld 






thy braai 
And warms thy soul with all the .Mux-.. 
Whether lo lutjrfa with • 

Thy number, iim.e tiir -apr'. face. 

Or lid the 

Anl rulble.. k.uI. Willi |P 

Tli Nature", roieed Uln 
Through thee 



111'*. I . 

v., 1 WWII. 
TO DB .';i I 

EUitlarJ, 8 1st Orfoirr. 1789. 
,ut jour Inter made me. aum.e! 
je hale, ami weel, and 



• b.t , u 






t aiblins honest Master Heron, 
wire his theolotrie rare on. 



Melt; supreme u ' 

Maug HI in. i!. 



i t 'b ill,. «r.rld o' cure '. 
lonj itherv ; 



r„. tee 

Nut but 1 bar a richer. 

I 

But why vhould oe mm 



Come, Firm Baaolte, ink thou the ran 

Tl talk o'carl I n Ban! 

And lei u . mind, falsi heart ne'er ami 



To make a happy lir 
Tb»!'a ibe true path 



To «,.,,.. and wife, 
> and .ublime 
Of human life. 

■10 Beekie ; 



No. I.XXWIII. 
TO R. GRAHAM, ES(J. OF FINTRY. 





SIR, 9tA Dtumbrr, 1789. 


The ill-thief blaw the Heron sooth ! 

• riot b( near his droulb ! 

He uuld my set b» word o' mouth. 

Il-'dtakmy leUer; 
I lippeo'd to the chiel . 

And bade nae better. 


I have a enui while bad a with to trout te jon 
with a Inter, and had certainly doni 

now but for a humiliatinff »OM,e.h.n,7 lint 

ihr.,w* cold water on ibe resolution 

•hould say, •• You have found Mr Graham a 

very powerful and kind friend indeed, audlhat 



» Mr Heron, author of the History cl 
land, lately publ.vhi! ; and anion? i 
other works, of a respectable life ol oi 



BURNS — LETTERS. 



of obliger and obliged is 
my being under jour pad 
honourable, yel, sir, alio 



angels, are short and far 

of Nithsdale, just as I us 
of Ayr. I take the lite 



and though 
, me highly 
t.er myself, 



s friendship 
nd the kind 
pervisor. I 
ibour. Nor 



n Captain 

•r into any 

Perhaps 






.r Doctoi 



md his 



family are in imminent dange 

inclosed ballad on that business is, I confess, 
too local, but I laughed myself at some con- 
ceits in it, though I am convinced in my con- 
science, that there are a good many heavy 



The election ballad, a 
to the present canva-' 
boroughs. I do not 



6P l a ir J. T i 



No. LXXXIS. 

TO MRS DUNLOP. 

Ellisland, \2th December, ] 7.S9. 
Many thanks, dear madam, for your sheetfu 
of rhymes. Though at present" I am belov 



Man! To-day, in the 
exulting in the enjoyme 
few days, perhaps in 



'r " b nnination o/^at" life^'is a^ome! 
thing at which he recoils. 

"Tell us, ye dead; will none of you in pity 



ghastly corse is resigned into the earth, to be 

],fe, seem- and seen, enjoying' and enjoyed? 
Ye venerable sages, and holy flatnens, is there 



fables? If there 






within 


!_ There 


should ] 


with sp 


eechless 














Mary ! ° 






fraught 


with trut 


h, honour, 


constanc 


y, and lo 


e. 


My Man 


, dear dep 


rted sha 


e! 




Wher. 


is thy pla 


e of hea 


euly rest 


? 



DIAMOND CABINET LEBBABY. 



death and the gra.c, is not one of the D 



far beyond our present conceptions, m 

I am a pood deal inclined (o think w 

rOM affections ire in fact di- > 

mind. I cannot reason, 1 canuul lh.uk ; and 



walks of the peasant and tbe artisan, a matter 

Mr Kiddel gut a number of hit own tenants, 
and farming neighbour., to form themselves: 
into a society for the purpose of having a librury 
among themselves. 'Ibcy entered into a legal 
engagement to abide by it for three years; 

■stance, or of dealh. Each uumber, at 
nry, paid Bra shillings, and ut eacb of 
meeting., which were held every fourth 

re. ^ub their ciury- 

_i, ami li.. .• .1 mIm.-Ii Hi.) took on the 
faith of their future fundi, the; laid in a tole- 



rable i 



., by woj of pcually, 1 



V better, 



ihile with a disea 
■ n mora than half 
Yoar good ne.. i 

be able to write ai 
thing at all. 

itfurt who ha> returned tr 
ll i..u bur 



. II ll. s BUfCUalB, 



great importan . 

and to society at large, dung them a uua 

fur reading and reflection, is gtviqg [Lein a 

degree in the scale of rationality. Impressed 

. - ?..'E»q. of Glennddel, set on foot 
a species of circulating librarj, oa a plan so 
simple as to be praciicabie in any corner of the 
country ; and so useful, as to descr 
of every country gentleman, who thinks the 
improvement of that part of bis own specie., 



• lood, lor that night, brst on the list, had his 
choice of what volume he plca.ed in the whule 
collection ; ihe accond had In. choice after the 
In. t ; the third niter the .ecoud, and so on to 
bad been 
first on the lift at the preceding meeting, was 
is_i ui toil ; ha who baid boas Mooad was brst j 

and so on through the whole three years. At 
u.-ugeuielit, the books 



.old by i 
Ur. lheui.cl.ci 
■ of Ihe cum,,, 
.. a. be cl,u.e l 



only . „ 



.... aril, ol unc hundred 

sno Lilt .uluine.. ll will easily, be guessed, 

that a good deal of trash would be bought. 

: -ok., bo»e»er, of ibis little 

idoir s Sermons, /ioorrtaon a ffw- 

b/ry or .Votiaad, llumt '. //-story of the Dtuarlt, 

Ux Spedator, Mier, Adrrnlutcr, Mirror, 

Lounger, Otsrrrrr. SI*n of Reeling, Man of Ike 

<ju,xolt, JosepA An. 

to hu 



* Tbe abore is extracted from the third to- 
me oi Sir John Sinclair's Statistics, p. obs. 
It »», inrlnwd lu Bit John by .Mr HiCoel 
I in ibe following luter, also printed 



inclose yon a letter, written by Mr Burns, 
addition to luc account ol Uonacore par- 
he was so good, (at my desire; as to set 

, in this parish. As its uiility has been 
tell, particularly among the younger class of 



No. XCI. 

TO MR GILBERT BURNS. 

Etlislaiid, Ulh January, 1790. 

I mean to take advantage of the frank, though 
I have not in my present frame of mind uvieh 
appetite fo r elerl ioam wrUilg. My ner.es 

hypochondria pervading every atom of both 



BURNS LETTERS. 

That whether doing, suffering, or fori 



lypochondria pervading every atom of both 
)o<ly and soul. This farm has undone my 
" ,ent of myself. It is a ruinous alia r on 

ids. But let it go to ! I'll fight 

Hid be off with it. 
We have gotten a set of very decent players 



or two. David Ca 

Sutherland 6 , w 
following prol 



No song nor dance I bring from yon gre 
That queens it o'er our taste— the more's tl 
Though, by the bye, abroad why will yi 

Bu' not for panegyric I appear, 

" a good new yea 



Old Father Time deputes me £ 

The sage grave aucient cough 'd, and 



t ye, 



Ye sprightly youths, quite flush with 1 
Who thiiifc to sto'rm the world by din: of m 



And humbly begs you 



No. XCU. 
TO MRS DUNLOP. 

Eilislaud, 251 A January, ] 790. 
It has been owing to unremitting hurry of 
long ere now. My health is greatly better, and 



neither poetic ] 
am so flattered 

and friendly °c 



n fneuUship 



nd, amid your thoughtlesi 



the skirt may try I 
le hold to catch him, 



°"te a"" 
joungfeH 






eepiy 



land, it would tend greatly to the speedy im- 
provement of the tenantry, trades people, and 
work people. Mr Burns was so good as to 



ore. After weathering the dread 
Dphe he so feelingly descrit.es in 

frigate [ T'Lget what pTr't of Sco 
"- honour of giving bim birth, bi 



mthor of the 



To Sir John Sinclah 



'ROBERT RIDDEL.' 



d Leriphanes, then p 
uterwards acquired a 



DIAMOND CAM NET LIBRARY. 



was one of ihoit daring adventurous spirit*. 
remarkable lor producing. Littlfl doM the 



t.-r fair. Mir ( 



Irsly/ih* author i» 



Cn h . lo 

I 



. 



a* I shoul : 

i. iH ™, reading to h..< 

; lu speak lU laiuruagc 

l^rr. aad l*tr*a 

mul.trng ton 
.ml •p.r.l. Bran person who 

he has «-rcr k,». 



boasted of him u h.i x! 

oa from a 

war. in ITTT. who la* 



olar. The editor bad 
m bolh Campbell and 

rifp.ri.b~j .oou afta 



Th»of h ibe death of Falconer happened to 
lai-l. a. Iff* or 1771, yet io the b ograpby 
prefixed bj l)> Anderson lo bit w rk,. in ibe 
complete edition of the PocU of Great Britain, 

il ii .a.d. "Of ih* family, 'birth-place, and 

mtnorni. ' ' On llie authority already given, 

on* of I be town, on ibe eoa-t of Fife, and ibat 
bis parents, who bad suffered tome misfor- 
tunes, remo<ed lo one of the tea-ports of Eng- 
land, where ibe; both died, aoon after, of an 
epidemic fever, leaving poor Falconer, then 
ahoy, forlorn and destitute, la consequence 
of which he rt.i.rrd oa board a man of oar. 
The** Laat circumstance* are however Ion 

* The bard's second aoe, Frinci,. 



rriage of hi» head, and glance of lii. f n« 
■y, which promise the undaunted gal- 
of on imlrpriii'riii mind. 



1 have Ibe honour 



V,. \( Ml. 
1 HuM UB ( I \MM.IIAM 



ii b rr.ki.nrd oopardeni 



I Ittra id ;ou twice without haarl r 

■ n, 1 am apt lu Ihiuk my Utflri* 
have m.tearr.. •!- Mj OMjoelaFO If only frajtud 

up.ii iba chapter of accidents turning up 
against me. sa il loo oflrn doea, in Ihe lri»iai, 

■ ib in. ili add, iba mora important 
altar, of life i bul I shall continue occasionally 

i -i lly brard 

under ib* met of our hospitable friend at 
niatlhnOOl Uilbt, there mm no 

I .aw your AJdnu In (Ac Yiqj JIB in ibo 
i '• jour production. 1 
shall sav nolhn.r, but my OOCJOOloHHIOl al rare 
that when your aarof b BMOtloO 
rsrry man of celebrity mual know often hap- 
pens, 1 am ibe champion, ibe .Menduza again, I 
jarl.ng critics, and narrow- mi mded rep- 
of whom a/ne on tbia plan. I 

• oaopliounla to your wife, and her 
black eyed sister, I remain, yours, Ate. 



No. XCIV. 

TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

EUiiland, 13rA FrUnwiy, ITtHV. 
yonr pardon, my dear and much vaiu>. 
I to you on thia very uo 
fashionable, un.ifhtly sheet— 



Put lo make amends, aince of a 

sheet of gilt, which lie* in m* dra' 
my plebeian foolscap pages, like ih 



"wed ha% 





BURNS — 


LETTERS. 


131 


-bearin„ he 


D-mate of a village priest; 


and trust to 


"Sincere, though imperfect 




sky-toddy, with the ruby- 






Dke-fellow 


i a foot-padding exciseman 






ike a vow 


o inclose this sheetful of 




Tuesday, 16th. 




s in that my only scrap of 












, I was prevented from the dis- 






cu^ioa of the 


knolty point at which I had just 




[ ought to have written to 

u, tti, a literal fact, I have 


made a full sto 


p. All my fears and cares are 










moment. It is not that I 








i ; Miss Bornet is not more 


that wi.-hes to 




her guardi 


n angel, nor his grace the 


unprejudiced i 










not that there are any very stag- 


friend Cu 


uingham to me. It is not 


ger.ng argum 


uts against the immortality of 



le regions of philology. 



December, 1789. 



Lie of enjoying plea. 
tore, or of suite, ing 

whethe'r there be not 
of life ; whether met 



see those who enjoy many 
things, contrive, notwilhst 


or all of these 
"fe'wVthem 


ahappy as others to whose lo 
fallen. I believe one gr.at 

. the hill of "life, not as we 


source of this 
, which goads 


«ena 5 e'd f °anl e cl7e?DuVra r the 






others of ou 



Sunday, lith February, 1790 
Cod help me! I am now obliged to join 

" Night to day, and Sunday to the week. ' ' 
If there be any truth in the orthodox faith o 



me that this vTas* cer- 

expired. I will write 
jod bless him and all 
y all the powers that 



-:''-• ' 



tind, think on these things, and 
ROBERT BURNS. 

No. XCV. 

TO MB HILL. 

Ellislani, 2d March, 1790. 
eetimr of the Mookland Friendly 
at their library 



by the" following hooks, which you I 

us as soon as possible -. — The Mirror, +,<* 

Lounger, Man of Feeling, Man of the World, 

first 'earner; Knox's HLtory of the Reforma- 
tion; Roe's Hitlory of the RehtlUon in 1715; 
any good History of the Rebellion in 1745 ; A 
Secession Act and Testimony, by 
Mr G.bb; Hcrc^'s M-.cihUi^ns ; B.l-.riL^ s 
Thoughts; and another copy of Watson's Body 



*•/£. 



) Mr 



oaths ago. 



In addition to 
my last, I want 
Excise Laws, o 









-.■>.'■, Dry. 

■■•x-r't, Wucktriey'; lanbmth'i, 
Ciiorr'a, or anr Dramatic H.irt. of i' 

H.,w>,rt._U/,.:n, fi.imrt. J-..,/,. ( ', 



a*. A food cup; loo 
l, I much want. An] 
tnalic author, in (hit language 1 nM afa»| 

too. I .... 

cheap, gel them for me. 

Mr. Uilll I iru.l if now lad IBM i.ol so 
■ r. M> good- wife too 



I am out of all llltim withi!, 



1 here ami<! so Duct 
nakedness, and hunger, in.' po. cell. and Mam, 



Nothing can reconcile me lo the common 
•m... -IngliahamUund r, I 



DIAMOND CADIXET LIMIAUY. 

Nothing can reconcile n 

'"""Ir.ir,,.;, 

equiiocal .liurucirr, Hastings, impeached Ij 
■ >iha Commoni ol Baft-land. Icil mr, my 

11 uijr counlrj ; 



.• v lale myself o 









EUUiland, loth April. 1790. 
noand friend. 



>^:laior, Aimlurrr. HamUcr, ai.U WoWd! 
thai tbej were 
-j thoroughly and - 






■ bich my country r< 



annihilation of her iodepeuiler.ee, and rsen ber 
»<ry name ! I oflea repeal that Couplet of my 
bnoariM po»», Ci 



my conscience such ill 

brr independence ; lier honour ; lb.- illu.lnoL 

name* that mark ihe bi.i.ii . I mj BUlai 

ljlid. " *.'.— 1 I rln-.c these, mimug juur Inn 

n who iu Cut guide fur tbi 
most pari and 



, «illi aliiio.t all iheoUr stub-s- 
talk of right and wrong, they un-y mean proper 



. il.r ,r,J, ct m-in ; 
man Iu lead naliuu.. Hut are ptal abilities 

complete without a Haw, and polished with, u 

Bttafd uf human excellence 









.erd, ,e. 






baBOT. and certainly would he aa 
tuu-.-li rr.p«-clrd by the true judges of SOCirl) , 
• ,1 ataad, wiihoui either a good 

rapiara with ikaui 1 .bo'uid t« 

i i/.<- paper.. 

i raadf LoamgKr t No. oi, 

1 '.ave read of I lo,!*-* time." W'Keoi'ia hi. 
m called the Addi>ou of ibe .Scot., nod in 
opinion, Addiaon w-.u.d not r.e hurt al |fca 
nparison. If be has not Addison a e-xqui.le 

der ,'nd the pa". 

Iicitm.; 1 estimate a. the br.t perfurmanco 



BURNS LETTERS. 

a the simple affecting tale of 
pith all my admiration of M'Ken 



humble frier 
of mind wl 
happy -or p 
I have b 
lately; but 



No. XCVIL 
FROM MR CUNNINGHAM. 

Edinburgh, 25th May, 1790. 

in much indebted to you for your lasl 
ndly. elegant epistle, and it shall make c 
I of the vanity of my composition, to main 
r correspondence through life. It wa< 
arkable your introducing the name of Miss 



of a consumption. Alas! that so much beauty, 
bud^Her '-" ■!,' ' r f nines" -of 



to hear from you. I beseech you, do not forge 

blessing of good health. All your friend", here 
are well, among whom, and not the least, is 
your acquaintance, Cleghorn. As for m '" 



taman 


be; but with these 


I am happy. 


When 


^mT^'hinT 


f very agreeabl 
for me a hearty 



No. XCIX. 
TO DR MOORE. 



uty in this office, 
let with a gentleir 



r, as short as a hungry grace-before- 
i long as a law-paper in the Douglas- 
- ill-.~f.r-It as country John's billet- 
is unsightly a scrawl as Betty Byre- 



;o flattered me, that n. 



ginal tho 


ugh 




ably iv 


remark on life 
ell turned peric 


a charac 


er 




ed'wi 


h uncommon 


Thoug 


i I 


halll 
"Co 

bley 


ardly 

npar'a 


hink of faWj 

t received fro'n 






'is-' 


- 
That 


time shall I 



i-anity of thinking that my re- 
rely from my own feelings as au 



N • \CIX. 

• . I M I P. 

<>KAH MADAM, HM Autvt. 1790. 

After a long .hi '■ toil, plarue. and carr. I 
... down ... 

in.* drUi «i ii w lune? ii m u»,„ k - i.. 
Iiurrj, InlnUnrn. and Mb Mb* 

iV«. aimabU it . •. mt. II. Iha 

indrblrd >our lol rourlr.1 lo uir f r tin. U.I 

nm.plm.rm; .. I p.. Il U 

lioa of ... ,„..!,- . ItuUUj r.ihrr r.r 

P 1 "" 

v. . I ■ ■ .- 10 pM, will raw a 

I. Ill* Bi; U 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

world .1 puling infant ■> thou didti, ai 



TO MR ( I s MM. HAM. 

. J. btk Jaffa*, 17D0. 



. I rnaj rear op Ibr .upemrurlun 
>i Indepeodrnce, »(..:, from il. dar 

■ 
« •■ -.uniioaliun deaoullj to be Wl.d- 



No. CL 

I 'BOM I'll 1.1. M KLOCR. 

FJinbu^k, III .Sro/rrnirr, ].!>(.. 
How dor. inj drar frirnd .'— much 1 laiigui.h 

Hi. f.,rli.nr, rotation*, and all Ibal arr dear i 
With li»- ul Ibr Mum .u .lrui v lj ,n|) >,„,(. 

I mranl IBll rpi.llr in >rr.r lo bn.r wr.n. I. | 
Hal from aga a. ..I n.l.f.i.iii, n. iI.mci.cc Bows, 
And lb,., mu.b 1 Irar, will t,.r... 

Anon lu III, I. U. II. r.. I V...I. 

ildoi ui.ii prorata, •• 

. and world. 

Which Will B ...inrol Idc 



I be H*e, nl...li .u.k. donrj hoili ev "rjf r«j 

•j tpoma- 
Aa tragrautj, iii.i..i, and aa »ig'roualj grow.. 



Lord J ib' 1 mo bran, and 


et m< .bare ; 






Ion!'b2r,' 


- ,lvrm Ibal 


bowla along the 








Arr rut 


drar noblr eervea 


? They arr Ibr 




of SaaooVf. Oar 


■ > lr Imawai i ■-•- 1 


If jou bar 


-. oot an tor porta. I » 






man thai din?. 


cm bi the 


l.our, of Ibr tTT 


rat. To .briua 






■ . 1 r | . . :' 




ce of .elf-eooaeou 






fl. Iter, and .tale 


| bautror. ii Lul 



.Now wilh kind fralulalioi 



You then, more at Wanna, aod free frurr 

■trong paaauiu that reign, n 

Bol UoMil, . 



lib 'a and loner..., '. piey. 
' lautuiu mj ibourdi. mt 



* The preceding letter explaint the feel.nr, 
inder which lb.. wa> wriiirn. 'lie .train of 

u ihe atile which our dard an tuo opl lo ln- 
lulffe, aod of which the reader h-. aJirau/ 



BURNS LETTERS. 



FRO.M .MR CUNNINGHAM. 
Edinburgh, 14th October, 17S 



song adapted to each season of the year. The 
task is difficult, but the theme is charming: 
should you succeed, I will undertake to gel 

there alive can draw so many 'beauties from 
Nature and pastoral imagery as yourself? It 
is, by the way, surprising that there does not 

and return with a sonnet in your pocket foi 

rude, correct'me; if impertinent, chastise me : 
if presuming, despise me. But if you blend 
all my weaknesses, and pound out one grail 

Faithful friend, &c. 



No. CIIL 
TO MRS DUNLOP. 

November, 1780. 



sorrow which I have received. In this in- 
stance I most cordially obey the apostle— 

of this epistle, is a pitch of extravagant rapture 

I read your lelter_I literally jumped for 

poet, lumpishly keep his seat on the receipt 
of the best news from his best friend. Iseized 

indispensably necessary, in my left hand, in 






neut to the sweet little fellow than I, extem- 
lore almost, poured out to him in the foilowi,,- 
erses. See the poem— On the Birth of a IW- 
mmous Child. 

I am much flattered by your approbation of 
ny Tarn o> SHanter, which you express m 
i.r former letter, though, by the bye, you 
- ! - that said letter with accusations 
nany ; to all which I plead 710* 

prepare it for the press, you have only to spell 
it right, and place ihe capital letters properly ; 

I have a copy of Tarn o' Shanter ready to 
send you by the first opportunity : it is too 

I heard' of Mr Corbet lately. He, in conse- 

or'toVenei'l me soon with 

an account of your good folk,; if Mr= 11. - 



No. CIV. 
TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

EUhland, 23d January, 1791. 
dear frie'nd^ "!"".» 'of lb"." SsTf 



ry of the heart, no Ro 



.li.bilitv of the Holy 



ntroductory couplets ; 
ELEGY 



In richest ore the 1 
In thee, high Heai 
As by his noblest 



the accomplished Burne 
sweet maid, can I forget 
ork the Godhead best ii 



i iv. > Ni> ( AlUNtT LIBRARY. 

folliet and filrii-v»(roncf, are ipiri 



And nol * wu„ 



in youth tit.! 



liul like .1,. HUMlil 



II II III) I_ 



all lb. Ilrkrew. 




























































e. Ik* man of MBit. 
























'nJL* Zmk, ute 




at -. 






banMad ti 






H. of gnuM, .boa. 


l-tlarred ,m 


' 


P u„. 





>■< tilence, his remark neglected, and hit 

pmon deapited. wb .* .hiho» n 

Lit idiot il'fmpl. at an, .hill meet with 

rwj:.itiu«< and applaute. V,r >. ii oi.lt ihr 

Tamil; of ncilb thai h»>- MM lo complain 

of Law* ; the ch.luren of foil, and vies, though 

in common aitb ifcaa, ihe otl.pnur of r.il. 

ama/t equally under ibj rod. 1 1 ■ 

the man of unfortunate du»poti(»oii and neglect- 

diaaapalton, de,p,ted and ahunnrd a> a 3»edt 
wretch, when i. u foihc,, .. mm , bring bia 

dritr bim ro di.boi.ni prtet.crt, 



hii i 



.nlry. Ii, 
oi of fan: 



! f.r 



1 foi-u 



Hu enrl, 



lul Dalioni. lie relurnt, |irrhapt, laden Willi 
the tpoilt of rapine and murdrr; li»rt wicked 

and ntMcltd, uml uir. a ami ii lard. 

— Naj, wont of all, »u. r..r belpla 

-iiinir, who ba> thi»errd at the 
of llie .l'r.1, wailing to *arn llir wii^r. 



. 1% Irll neglect 

coronated mr, burning on to tl 

(nation l tb.-, » 

' to plead, riota nightly in I 



gnlltj, 



No. ' IX 

i It ■ \. i . i '. i ii H, I Bt). 

KdiiuWgA, \1tk March. 1TUI. 

UKAK »IK. 

Mr II. i! jr.lrrdar put into my lini.il, 






•oura, roillUd Tarn o' abator 

• rrj l..rh plM 

peru«al of lh.. admirable piece, 

be la to tend off a packet for )ou ll. I. day ; 1 
cannot I,. 1. 1 ihetrlure putting on 

ad, would reproach me wit), ,,.- 

rrtl.lu.ie. I ha.e teldom in my life lotted of 

..,, woik of Keuiu.. 

bad ,ou nerrr wmlm ,.i.olhcr ., liable, would 
.... tunic. enl lo have Iran. milted 
jour nam* down lo potferily with I. 

IM introductory part, where you 
t.a.nt Ihe character of jour hero, and cilnl.it 
bin at the aie-booae mrfc, with hit tippling 

humour and naivrlr, ibal would ,1.. 
Mallbrw Prior; but when you detente the 
unfortunate orrfiea of the wilcbet' aabbalb. 
i, leaver) in which they ara r\. 
ii diaplay a power of it 



Hut Shak 
ceeded. 

following: 


know not that 1 bate ever 
ure of more, horrible fancy ibat 


•* ConSm atood round like open praam. 

And by tome detill.h cantrip alifbl, 
Each in bia cauid band held a l.gi.t." 


blood ran r. 


[ ™jsJtr~** Va * 


"A knife 
V\ bom I 


father 't tbroal bad miof ,.', 
i. tn. ton ol frl 



The grry tudn jef afucir to lAc Krji. ■ ' 



BURNS LETTERS. 



aflfr the two following lines, 
'horrible and awfu',"&c. the de- 
: might perhaps have been better 



He, are 3 all features of hiuh merit, in tl 
ellent composition. The only fault it p ( 
xs, is, that the winding up, or conelusi 



adequate. But for this, perhaps, you 
good apology -you stick to the popular 



an advice :- You have proved your talent foi 
a species of composition, in which but a very 
few of our own poets have succeeded — Go on 

will eclipse Prior and La Fontaine ; for,' will 



No. CV1I. 
TO A. F. TYTLER, ESQ. 



Nothing less than the unfortunate accident I 
grateful acknowledgments for your letter. I 

tempt ; to have that poem so much applauded 

to keep up the proper proportion of evil with 
the good, which it seems is necessary in this 
sublunary state, thought proper to check my 
exultation by a very serious misfortune. A 
day or two after I received your letter, my 

* done me since its disaster, "find^self™ able* 
to do more than just in general terms to thank 

age and friendship. As to the faults you 
shall cut out ; as To the falling off in thTcat'as- 






in my fancy. If I can bring these floating- 
ideas to bear any kind of embodied form, it 
will give me an additional opportunity of as- 



No. CVIII. 
TO MRS DUNLOP. 



good an apology for my seemingly ung 
silence. I am now getting better, and a 



you my having an idea of composing an elesry 
on the late Miss Burnet of Monboddo. I had 

with her.^nd have seldom fel^so mnXaTtae 



iccomplished a piece of God's 
lore. I have as yet gone no 
following fragmr- - 



{Here follows the E'.egy, 6,-c. 



That 


heart nowsnn 


it nestled for 
k, a prey t 


'.'£.< 


So dec] 
Sofr 


iSbsi 


leaves 


t yon aged 
it bleak and 


I have 


proceeded no f 


irther. 






Your 


kind letter, 


with J 


safe. 

prid 


ind rt 
Thi 



trnly happy to hear 



oping head. " Soon and well may her • 'cru 
unds" be healed ! I have written thus f; 
h a good deal of difficulty. When I get 
le abler \ou shall hear farther from, 

Madam, yours, &c. 



DIAMOND CABINET L1BRAKY. 



ffSTABLB. 



a-emm. W tii tompn. 

"'xbm, lafeallraeal 

I 

tmbm il« u> 

lo«IUi>ll 



.. uuaoi i in in .. 

I lS4l lh. .luTJ Of K» M 

1 bin, in 

IbCOwed ' » ! OJJ U.ual 

■ 

limit 1 am already 

>r t* '• g'jwdnm ; 

U CU do DM 

come. 1 wu torn * puor do; ; »nd boweier 

I 

-olre the tiallmnr faith thai w> 
poetry will coo.iderably oullne my potrrfy ; 
uxl wiihout ant ftutian aJTretat 
can prvtDiM and amrui, thai It BOM 

■g injuria, to the h 
■ he former. WhaJe»er mar be my failingi, 
ire a part of human nature, majr 

• 'r.uw c( 1 (twiuu. burl, and u 
independent mind ! Ii >■ no fault of mine 
that I wn born 10 dependence ; 
C I I.-. can eoiu- 



[fo, CXt 

1 ROM 1111. U \. Li. haiho. 

8IH. London, 8M February, I7D1. 

talked of} ol .W..W1 Jirurc'f /Vail. Ibe 
probli ol ibt edition are Is eu |o In. mother - 
" » ul pool uud 

hrljilr... The |HMini "le lo I" puull.ll.-d t.y 

■ubacrtplloii , aim .1 n«j 1 «■ ponitla, 1 ihu.k. 






A only . 









I .-ou Will 

laUMllsl what cur- 



rXI.,.t of thit rr S u. 



.... earar.ee. 
Mad; an I a.' I would .ub 'e.er/ line of 



e already paid an honourable tri- 
be mother of Uruce Mill rxjiriience 



plain, humble .lone ova* hit pint. Tliia, at 

1.1. I Iru.l ;ou will aerie la do — to furm.b, 

early u pouibte ; a abort delay might di.ap- 
■ iut u. in procuring lli.l rattafH tue u-oliier, 
hicb u the object of the whole. 
You will be pleaaed loaddren for me oncer 



BfBNS LETTE! 



No. CXII. 
TO THE REV. G. BAIRD, 

N ANSWER TO THE FOREGOING. 



peccadilloes, failings, foilies, am 
(aoy body but myself might perh 
of them a worse appellation), tl 
some balance, however trifling, ii 
I am fain to do any good that 



No. CXIIL' 
TO DR MOORE. 



lisland, 2S1A February, V 
t's Antiquitit* oj Scotland 



read 'the piece before, still tl 



roe another opportunity of thanking you fo 

of showing you, that the abil.ties you hav 
teen pleased to commend and patronize ar 
still employed in the way you wish. 

The Elezy on Captain Henderson, is a tribui 
to the memory of a man I loved much. Poet 



all other kindness ceases to be of any avail. 
■Whether, after all, either the one or the other 
be of anv real service to the dead, is, I ft 
very problematical ; but I am sure they 
highly gratifying to the living : and as a v 
orthodox text, I forget where in Scriptt 

so say I, whatsoever is not detrimental to to- 



rn v h 



am wonder* 
t I can still 



fully plea 

?p up a tender mtercoi 
oved friend, or still 

Hie ballad on yueen Mary was begun while 
. vas busy «ith Percy's Reliques of English 
Poetry. By the way, how much is every 
honest heart, which has a tincture of Caledo- 
.i an prejudice, obliged to you for your glorious 
,tory of Buchanan and Targe. 'Twas an un- 
equivocal proof of your loyal gallantry of soul, 
;iving Targe the victory. I should have been 



I am disposed to think unequal to the merits of 

send them to you. Original stroke, that strong- 
!o57 iC rov 1 inc n e U T-oTan S oZ r r a nove I l!s1''i 
perhaps be excepted; but, unhappily, his 
world; and however Ihey may captivate the 

made human nature our study, dissatisfy our 
riper minds. 

As to my private concerns, I am going on, 
a mighty tax-gatherer before the Lord, and 
have lately had ihe interest lo get myself rank- 
shall fall into the file of supervUorship by 
death of the Earl of Gle'ncairrj 5 ; the patron 

ment lo him, which was indeed so strong that 
it pervaded my very soul, and was entwined 



in the excii 

ness than otherwise it will be. Though this 

and as to my boys, poor little fellows ! if I 
cannot place them on as high an elevation in 
life as I could wish, 1 shall, if I am favoured 
so much of the Disposer of events as to see 

dent a basis as poss.ble. Among the many 
wise adages which have been treasured up by 
our Scottish anchor.-, this is one of the best, 

o' the gentry. 

interesting to me, is of no' manner of conse- 






DIAMOND CABINET MBIlAIiY. 

f • book, which I Ihr DtlDOal i.f >nur pnwrr, I would h 

I pabli. in othtf luhMf lotion i 

n B of which I will cx^n inj.nlfwi 



V.. < \1\. 

■BOM Dii M00R8. 



riloinn «l -am..- ,.i, ib* lt->- Mr Hand, at 

u.r liu.r^i Vi - .. aha b.J I 

; .:, i kurrk, ibi I 
JfraoVreuia, aud ihe J-.oi.iipA. 'I i. 



„rbl l.o» wb.ch t- r >" «"b 



'-.«.. muki on Zr/at-o, • n ib. iDur.D. I 






panicularij 

who in perbape ihem«*i*n Um 
tt» oafhl to U coo* uoirt proa. , 



imed, tod ifm 



of ib« lilandi whan jou 






i* to 111. friend Mra Dun. 

IO b. aflrcliun.lrl) rr- 
MM niu.l nul judge of I bit 
it in, MaUlBMU re.p.cu..|r tarr, by 

■I Of III) Irllri. ; I htldl, r,rr »nl- a 

ii I ii. n. r., : uid I du nul know tbal I 



TO uii in ». Am mi. AUBON. 

M down m 
Vondidnu 

I ,.'■■'',..,■ <'.», n bmI 

.- 1st of II 111' fuel l». 

PUiurodoal 






.uMiu.e, It.en lb. IwincU Iweiirjeof a j»»«- 
baru ; Ifctal Ib* delicti- fjexuie of ■ row-lwir. 
•hen ibe bell-Mown Bonn i. h.a.j Willi Um 
■ 
■ii. ib- upnirul Hub of ■ burdork ; 
and Ibat from eooietbmr innaie II i 

•d .'..,» ii a. irr-fiaf.blf, orthodox Irulh., until 

. in) fanb. In abort. 

..r, except Em U'l KrmumU of Gtomtlry. 

wb.cb I made a abifl IO unravel lj n>) ft»ba • 

..- muter c»euiruJ»oi lh« 6rat m- 



BURNS LETTER S. 



co a t:I:z:\ 


style, sounds 


puha^ecTnvIn 


meYhat'th'eya 






I inclose jo 


i some poetic 


bagatelles of 




n. Tbe one 




essay in ike wa 


y of telling a 


a ' e ' o- 



TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

12th. March, 1791. 

let me ha*e them. For my own part, a thing 
that I have just composed, always appears 

iu'which a°n amhor "will eve'/view bTo« 
works. 1 believe, in general, novelty has 



something in it that inebr 


ates the fancy, 


not unfrequently dissipates 






ves the poor pan 


a, usual, with an aching! 




stance of this might be add 




tion of many a hymeneal h 


oneymoon. But 


intrude'on the offiee^f my 


jarish priest! Is 


fill up the page in my owr 












well as the former. 




You must k.ow a be 




There'll never be peace li' 


Jamie comes he 


When political combustio 


ceases to be the 


ject of princes and patriot 


, it then, you kt 


becomes the lawful pre 


y of historians 



friend, how' much you would oblige'me, if, by 
the charms of your delightful voice, you would 



"Th 


od-nigh 

lectable 

Ke tlli, tl 

i the tap 


' night's black arch the 

to you ! Sound be your 
our dreams! Aprup.,-, In. 
ought in a ballad, I have 


Tha 

For f 
The 


to tbe west, when I gae to rest, 

t happy my dreams and my sluo 

lad that is dear to my baby and me 


Good 


nigh,, on 


ce more, and God bless yo 






No. CXYII. 




TO 


MRS DUNLOP. 


E! lisland, 1 1/ h April, 17< 



present of a fine boy ; rather stouter but not so 
handsome as vour god-son was at his time 
}f life. Indeed I look on your little namesake to 



By yon castle wa', at the close of the da 
I heard a man sing, though his head 

grey: 
And as he was singing, the tears fast 

There '11 never be peace till Jamie comes 

The church is in ruins, the state is in jat 

Delu 

Wei 



i, oppre : 



yerd: 
It brack the sweet heart o' my faithfu' auld 

There'll never be peace till Jamie conies hame. 

Now life is a harden that bows me down. 

Sin' I tint my bairns, and he tint his crown ; j 

There'll never be peace till Jamie comes hame. 



faclure, as 1 look on Tarn o' Sn 






poetical line'. 




other discover 


a spice of roguish waggery, tha 












finishing polish, that I despair 


f ever excell- 


ing. Mrs Burns is getting sto 




breakfast, as 


a^-eaperfrom the corn-ridged ' 


hat is the pe- 


culiar privilege and blessing 


of our hale. 


sprightly damsels, that are br 


ed among the 


hay and heather. We cannot 


hope for that 


highly polished mind, that char 


ming delicacy 


of soul, which is found anion 


g the female 


world in the more elevated stati 


ns of life, and 


which is certainly by far the m 




charm in the famous cestus of 


Venus. It is 






where it can be had in its native 


lea'^enly purl- 




er of the man- 


ly shades of affectation, and una 


loved by some 


one or other of the many species 






nk it cheaply 


purchased at the expense of ever 










lion andra.k 


of life, and totally denied to s 


ach a humble 






with the next rank of female exce 





DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY 



eoul, mi.u.picu.u. of, hatiiim 
Milh, ihe crooked wa\. of a 



«"..ild 
nd a geiicrou. 



and ibe talM charm of all tl 



CH, tcarcrlj err hope Co ell;o». «rr Ihe cktlW 

oflo.el. m 

lb.. I. Ibr er.aU.I cllorl in, Irokruarlll bu 

j«i m»dr. I port, boa 

Alioighljf (..oodiirt. preteoc am' 



civiliii hi, J humiliating adrice. to be a 
>luru) nvage, tlalking iu the pride of bit 1:1- 

. . i id id.- •olitarj wild- of hit det- 
ent, ralher ibm. in ci. lined lile, helplctilj 10 
tremble for a tub.i.lence, precamu. 
price ol a IrlluM-crcalur* I K.erj man but hit 
.iriurt, and no man la wilboul bi» failings; 
and curtc on tbal pri.ilcgrd plain-dealing of 
fritodabip, which la ihe boat of nit calamiit, 
caimul r.j.li lurih ibe hrlpiug hauu vinbuut al 
lb* lam* lima pointing oul lho»* falling., and 
apportioning I hen ibe.r .hare iu procuring my 
preaaot di.irr... Mj friend., lor .urh the 
w.,rld call. )c. and ,uch )e think jour.rl.r. lo 
be, pa., bj wriur. if jou plca.c. lul do, alio, 
■para mj folliaa l il.<- Lr.t mil m,. 

... u...-l.e.. and Ibe la.l Mill gi»t> 
i.. Ik* laMHOI mind Milliout 

r iri> Item 

roprktli UO rectitude, muii be 





pul il in ■) pot>ar, .In.), from uijtell. and 


No. CX.Ill. 








TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 


1 in-; .il, 1 ul 1 Maul Iu ba ludcpcudrnl iu Wjf 


DM, 1791. 


I.- i.lurti in Ih • rambling iHl.r lo lb* lllb- 


■! ,u. mj dear (.uuiiiugbaai. in 


■1 »ilb. In me rrcommrlid mjr 




Ir.rnd, Mr Clarke, lo jour acquaintance and 


- . principal 






•"•' bh . 




Joug much lo hear lioui y.tx. Ad.eu. 






a-«wd Of bai.hnna I 




. b • CAtr. l~d boll 1 








. 


No. CM\. 








1 RON TIIK KARL OK BLr 11 VN. 








I>,yb*r,h Mtf, MtkJunr, 17111. 


aiith a n./< 


io ....nr Mr 




llu..,. Iu make o, ba (orOMtiM ol ll.e 




1 II . .... Ihe if 11 J 




. , loe ahrli dat perhapa In. iilm 






' 


. hum. .bould, lea. inn laM Vih. 




















.. l.ofj Buchan billing 
. n. 'lb-re Iba com- 
a bear!} Mekcbnje, aod 



. >u I lie a lar of Caledonian airtur. 
...,ur I b • BatMicaJ [H-iauibolalion ol i 

i Ui*t'a and of 

.. l.llOMed oul Li bu aceompl »b- 

. Ihe prraeut ftir (Jilberi, >bo, 

igh :he ui-uium bating been t>uh Lord Buchan lalelj, lb* 

pro^-et W a. renewed, and will, Ihe; hope, be 



J- 

: tie HUM 






d 






TO THE EARL Of SOCMAN. 



Language Main aader lb* ardoar of my feet. 
. :..:.gL.,m. iagm, .Le.i i oouid ib.nk jour Wra.Uip .ut? 



the honour you have d 

Thomson. In my first 
the card you did me th 



BURNS— 
ition of the bust of 



■ harvest, is what, I much doubt, I da 



I shall trouble your lordship with 



No. CXX1. 

FROM THE SAME. 

Dryburgh Abbey, IS th September, 1791. 



Your address to the shade of Thomson has been 
well received by the public : and though I 
should disapprove of your allowing Pegasus to 



. 


which [fid 


at this moment to su 




muse, Ham 


st Home, as an exc 






eful song, in whic 












ape c 




for the employme 






eisure and recess, 






occupations. 


:, 


Halloween, 


nd Saturday Night, 




to distant po 


terity as interesting 



I 



, _._pethe disguise 01 a 

of expression. Without the assistance of any 

any foreign muse, you may convey in epistolary 
form the description of a scene so gladdening 



of the borders of the once hostile nations of 
Britain, with their former oppression and 
misery, and showing, in lively and beautiful 
colours, the beauties and joys of a rural life. 
And as the unvitiated heart is naturally dis- 
posed to overflow in gratitude in the moment 
of prosperity, such a subject would furnish you 

•wjp* your%irit;_ana , have' s ^ B ^yonc 



No. CXXII. 
TO LADY E. CUNNINGHAM. 



sending you any thing I compose in my poeti- 
cal way ; but as I had resolved, so soon as the 
shock of my irreparable loss would allow me, 
to pay a tribute to my late benefactor, I deter- 
» I should do 

wing of ray fancy been equal to the ardour of 
my heart, the inclosed had been much more 

lay it at your ladyship's feet. As all the 
world knows my obligations to the late Earl of 
Glencairn, I would wish to show as openly 

wiih the most grateful sense and remembrance 
of his lordship's goodness. The sables I did 
myself the honour to wear to his lordship ;s 

Nor shall my gratitude perish with me :— If, 
t-mong my children, I shall have a son that 
has a heart, he shall hand it down to his child 






No. CXXIIL 
TO MR AINSLIE. 



ind diseased ? Can 



hounds of hell, that bes< 

who has been guilty of ll 
ness — can you speak pea 



ery cnicl 



s of hou 



vho, them, are ranked up before 

ine with a burthen of anguish on' his back 
,our on my devoted head-and there is noni 
lity me. My wife scolds me! my busii 

* The poem inclosed, is The Lament 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



i.T'ii'ni* nw, ana mj «ln« comr fi*rin(f rn» In I 
lag ■ mu« billrr lata 



an, tut ih. 

had from rujr 

lad 1 luckil< iboufht ,'f 

. thaiTaj b, 

■ 






i. ib<- ■■*. I 



N i WIV. 
MN Willi! 

kt<rft d ■ » ■ I 



vhrner I im ju»t rrturnrd. Yoir 
furwordrd to BM Ibar* from K.liukur-b, »b... , 
» tba d>ir, it had lai 

iohi» anawtrad it imm«lm,lt on I H al i ng 

othn. In »l..<-h I Iwind ajjfnnwmd all 
Ibr l.nir 1 lah put It 

I ran ijull 

i . HaUrm.* 
■■ b] k ttaf )OU .1 I..,. i 



r>lrj .bVJ find lb. 



bu up ruM bfixbl Khurbtu ajiO 
Ibr H.jjt.1." 






FROM -V. 



EdMmrfk, «7U .V«. 1791. 






BURNS LETTERS. 



reedom, my opinion of h 



No. CXXVL 
TO MISS DAVIES. 



ic purity of your youlhiu 
Mppily must rank as th. 



your obliging 


coinni 


ands. In 


deed I had one 


apology- the b 






mg. Besides, 
Miss D 's 




rongly am 


I interested in 




nd welfare 




business of life 




its chances and changes 


that to make h 




r Ubj o e f Ct the f 




is downright 








ings; lis like 




pertinent 


est to a dying 


friend. 








Gracious H 




why th 






hes a 


ad our po 


vers? Why is 






sh to nial 


e others blest, 




l.etV. 












'■ In my walks 






th a few p 




how gladly wo 




have said- 


" Go, be hap- 


py ! I know 








wounded by th 






oud, whom ac- 


cident has piac 


edabc 


ve you— o 




whose hand ar 




haps, plac 




comforts of yoi 


r life 


But the: 




rock, Independ 






ustly down on 


their littleness 


of s 


ul. Mak 




tremble under 






and the fool- 


ish sink before 




ontempt ; 




part that happiness 




which, I am 


certain, will g 


veyo 














Why, dear I 


nad an 




vake from this 


delightful rev 


lie, 


nd hnd i 


all a dream ? 



hnd myself poo.' and powerless, incapable ol 
wiping one tear from the eye of pity, o.- of ad- 
ding one comfort to the friend Ilove!_Oul 
upon the world ! say I, that its affairs are ad 
ministered so ill 1 They talk of reform !— goot 



them. Had I a world, there si 



heart that could kindly forgive, and generously 

Stillthe inequalities of this life are, among 

delicacy, a tenderness, accompanying every 
view in which we can place lovely Woman, 
that are grated and shocked at the rude, capri- 
cious extinctions of fortune. Woman is the 
blood-royal of life: let there be slight atirrees 
of precedency among them—but let them be ,. . 
sacred. Whether this last sentiment be ri lit 
or wrong, I am not accountable ; it is an on" i- 



No. cxxvn. 

TO MRS DUNLOP. 



I have just finished the following song, 
which, to a lady the descendant of Wallace, 
and many heroes of his mi!, ilioslr.ous lio-, 
and herself the mother of several soldiers, needs 
neither preface nor apology. 

Scene,— Afield of battle— time of the day, even- 
army are supposed to join in Uiejollowiu s 
SONG CF DEATH. 
Farewell, thou fair day, thon green earth, and 



Thou grim king of terrors, thou life's gloomy 
Go frighten the coward and slave ; 

No terrors hast thou to the brave : 
Thou strik'st the poor peasant— he sinks in tha 

Thou strik'st the young hero-T 'glorious 
He fails in the blaze of his fame! 



DIAMOND I U'.IM.T LIBRARY. 

il fa\r Hat (•■ Il 



will. 

n op. 



DumJrUi.i'U January, KUjJ. 
■ 

mil. rallrd Toanf 

la.l.r.. It,.,,, , (bt lb- b.t.1 

i -in! MM 
. ' | foeh oi"l ui,|irm. 

who .III laka ibii In., lolowa « . 

own waj, a. a nalurall.l and a' pi 

. lualnlaiicr. 

■ >..t»r> ..f ili- iiiu.r. ; and »• 

I 

. 

i .Vporlnari oflb'daj. 

Mi. i« a flrar I 



, l„ ,„u 






• 



- a fr«i for-al.lj. pro- „ho oul honour to ao 
d»CTd >t wb.fm.Uaf. rap. and told ib*ta .ball . a II 



■ »..bra and moal ardrnl prajm, 

11 aj nfin (brow jour aMatmi 

.r cba/a*e»T 

on tb. jadffm.nt of a fool, tut thai, unrij^bt 

arid 'fMt, jou otaj walk to an lionrat fra*r. 



* d«l jour eop m. two friend*. Apropoa, I 
,n of ~*"j M«J «' -xi -i~ 



No. I \ 
TO MR W. Mi.uL 



!OaFri-Turry, ]T'J2. 

tbt iman ! Maj all | O thou, withal eJDoojr lb* wia«, meridian 

a/ad joun, whcrcicr blai- of prud>uc-. full moon of duxrrtion, an. I 

w earth: cb«f of maaj eoanarllor. < How loliiHtrj 11 

' lb. puddle- headed, n ' * 





BURNS. —LETTERS. 


ed, round-headed si 
of thy own right-li 


iat from the luminous path 
red rectitude, thou lookest 


old Highland 

It is a first-ra 


Ihe zig-zag wander 
calculation, from ih 


ingldef/aU ihe p6w«s of 


written what 
it. I will sen 






father of proverbs and roaster of maxims, that 
antipode of folly , and magnet among the sages, 
the wise and witty Willie Nicol! Amen I 



nothing! From the cave of my ignorance, 

fumes of my political heresies I look up to thee, 
as doth a toad through the iron-bar reu lucerne 

of a summer sun ! Sorely sighing in bitterness of 
soul, I say, when shall my name be the quota- 
tion of the wise, and my countenance be the 
delight of the godly, like the illustrious lord of 
Laggan's many hills i* As for him, his works 
are perfect ; never did the pen of calumny blur 
the fair page of his reputation, nor the bolt of 
hatred fly at his dwelling. 

Thou mirror of purity, when shall the elfine 
lamp of my glimmerous understanding, purged 
from sensual appetites and gross desires, 
like the constellation of thy intellectual po 
—As for thee, thy thoughts are pure, and thv 
lips are holy. Never did the unhallo'- J 

pleasures of darkness, pollute the sacred fil 

O that like thine were the tenor of°my i 
like thine the tenor of my conversation ! t 
should no friend fear for my strength, 
enemy rejoice in my weakness ! Then shou 

afraid May thy pity and thy prayer be e 

No. CXXXI. 
TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

3d March, 179! 



Thank heaven, I feel my spirits buoj ing up 
wards with the renovating year. Now I shal 

daresay he thinks I have used him unkindly, an 



l Cluh, such : 
lamsay, in A 
le Shepherd. 



.par fed friend, which vexes u 
ye gotten one of your Highlan 
h I fancy would make a very d< 



lie'; and by courtesy of 

: of a herald; and shall 
(em, my arms. On a 
ish, seeded, proper, in 



rL 'bZd. e By Ui lhe P shepherd's 
I do not mean the nonsense of 
idia ; but a Stock and Horn, and 



cosfume".^ What! my "dear' S^gJraTis 



No. cxxxn. 

TO MRS DUNLOP. 

m Water Foot, 22d August, 17E2. 



I IAMOND CAB1NKT L1DKAHY. 



mJ rrproting n 
Im, iadoten 



... 
•bk ■] n.u.-ti l.-. J friend and bn »id 

... and to Ixr, of Ihrm (o 
kind lo JOB 






eh, the drl.rjil 

. u:,.: ILiraiof 
ITiag in all Iho 









loir ,||«| thill ,.|1 Ul , l.lLrr, UMOI 



Will. 

TO Mil < 1 VMM.IIWI. 
in; burrj ol 



dim, 1 H. i... wb.o 1 I'll Ih.m; 



, ... 



ui •• aiichl 

inage ; or 1 



Mi in mj plaitua," Ac. 
So I pared.... 



• (though io 

, I ,N.M..:ru lo L..T uol.c 

i I....! ai.nr u,tii bag ii- 

i.-re i» to jour rood 

, ju»l 1} waj of »p«ll, 

II Mlbaitcrn nop. »to n.uj be on llicir ingbllj 



■ ud 1 k*id, 



? "The volt* 



riM to you • "The »< 
!.•' Wbel •hall lcrj 



•>o« lo lb* »a.t coonirj, •• 1 am to Le in A 

■ tetnighc. lhi» »ofUiof ou 

r.r»iib.uin:iiir >■ hn» buj good lb. 1.5. in 

three people a ho would br the happier 

. f'.rocr Ou; met together, n, almo»t with, 

r twice e-jear, which, conferring 
1 *rrj greal 
. 
lect ibal So-oniou hi* mentioned in bin 1 



■»er tbou make.t ihj.elf rlfjbbj ! be thou 



. bogle I, 

nmun 'biclr/'i'n" 
f.ulde: Be (boa 



, mi, ai dead of 
night, 10 ihj tank b. the bluing ■ 

ibj iron bail half arJrigbi ihjaelf, a* 

rormeil the worl of twcnlj of ibe »on» of men, 

rre ibe cock-er..wir,g •ummon ibee lot 

cog of .uUiaiiiiaJ broae. — Batbou 

lieuutiog ibe ford or ferrj, in the aiartnt inrln. 

Jgblng jell with ibe I,. 
toe .lorui, eod ibe roaring of ibe Hood, a* i'w 



BURNS.— LETTERS. 



lastly" be thou a ghost, paying thy noctur- 
visitstothe hoary ruins of decayed gran- 

dow of thy time-worn church, while the 



or the murderer, pourtray.ng on his dreaming 
fancy, pictures, dreadful as the horrors of un- 



ivho is quite jaded in 



mark worth putting pen to paper for. 
1 feel, I feel the presence of superuatl 



cm her three-fooled stool, and like her too, la- 


themasyou pie 


tse; only. rtmeSer th. 




















ihysic; and parlicularly in the sightless soar- 






ngs of school divinity, who, leaving Common 


As for the res 


of my fancies and rever 


Sense confounded at his strength of pinion, 


how I lately me 


with Miss L B 


Reason, delirious with eyeing his giddy Might ; 




lful, elegant woman in 


and Truth creeping back into the bottom of her 




accompanied her and 






tteen miles on their jou 


scorned alliance to the wizard power of Theo- 







and the needy loo often affirms ; and 'tis 
teen hundred thousand to one, by the dc 

But of all Nonsense, Religious Nonsei 

than enough of it. Only, by the bye 
you, or can you tell me, my dear Cunning 
why a sectarian turn of mind has always 
dency 10 narrow and illiberalize the 1 
They are orderly; they may be just; nay, 1 



aproned sons of mechanical life. I remembe: 
in my plough-boy days, I could not conceive 



iropos, how do you like, I mean really like 
lite a uiflerent thing from what your love- 
God, and 1 shall never quarrel' with any of his 
institutions. I am a husband of older stand- 

of°the conjugal state_(e» passant, you know 

I am no Latinist, is not conjugal derived 
from jugum, a yoke ?) Well, then, the scale 

nal Charms, viz. a sw'eet face, eloquent 

Mne waist too, but that is so scon spoilt, 
now,) all these, one; as for the other 

as Fortune, Connexions, Education, (1 

education extraordinary ,j Family Blood, 



Th|gS 

The very Deil, 
What< 



He'd look into thy bonnie face 
Andsay.-Icanuawrangthee." 

-behold all these things are written in the 
chronicles of my imagination, and shall be 
read by thee, my dear friend, and by thy be- 
Now to thee, and to thy before-designed 
oosom-companion, be given the precious things 



1 by the 



h Mow from ihe fountains of 



of li 






DIAMOND CABINET 1.1 HILARY. 



. UDltl i- 

W.M. ,.,. ."'.a mUtm will b. puiU, u 






No. cxxxir. 


N (WW. 


- DUlfLOP. 


TO MBS in M OP. 


Dmmfrmm, SKA September, IT98. 


m HA1 I HITS WRITTFS OX 


lavmtkbt 


r»K i.kaiii 0» KM H-, n. il 


- 






I bid been rrom home, and did nol recei.. 


'rrtd UtdtLlakoa Mr* II — '» ajuutioa. 


tout Urilaf until n,, reiurn ibe other da,. 
\\ bit thall 1 








r thai can 




karroo the human fi-rhu-._ tick —looking, 


1 uldl out to 


ding none 






— boo ju.l llir expi— lull ! »ud like e>rr¥ 


much: be «ho wouudad i be only can), ma. 




11. heal!* 


which lb'. In » M-riuu,, 




III ■ r, ..1 whi«h ll.e world bu 


I mUk lb' firmer emi ,,, of bit new ae- 


■ 


. . . 


. make, the paaaii.g 


''•-Joj^^'^"* 


remark, and proceed, to tbr tieat uu,el occur- 




Alai, nadam ! who would wi,h for many 


lairJ farm.. 


!..,.■, ur.nl 






U.llle wcibrr. in | 


. which blol. 


MMCUMimlobim, "..bat . . 


out ibe »., Ihl fare of 



, and in u.l li.. 



\WI. 

i di nop. 



, booour i 
■ and m». 

rl ahould aJoaii ba>e j foriurvr Apr.poa, mm 



• Tr. . -- felaa* 



.. GM December, IT 92. 



oupralulaleour- 



paaard balftbe ordinal) term of an old man.', 
lie, and jet I acarcwjl . 

tbat I ha«e krio»n, and wbich I, and oilier 

..'.diui -b. •> of uncertainly, ai.d 
»budder with apprebeunon, for our own fate. 
Hut of how d.fierent an im (KirUl.ce are the livea 
'. . .1 »bat im. 
portaou it one period of the .ame life, mora 
than another ? A few year, ago, I could h*»e 



lbe>e moat batplca* .!....>. aua)., would, t 
luting me and m> exertion,, loa* both Ibe 
•• ,uff and abidd." B> the waj, the. 

hava lately got an addition 
Mr. B. ha.iur; ;..<i. me a Lne girl ..uce 
wrote you. Tliere i. a ebarmiug paatage i 

* jrd and LUmxoto, 



BURNS — 
"The valiant, in himself, what can he suffer- 
As I am got in the way of quotations, I shall 
liarly, alas, too peculiarly apposite, my dear 

'< Who so unworthy but may proudly deck 



The rough winds rage aloud; when from the 

This virtue shrinks and in a corner lies, 
Lamenting- Heavens! if privileged from trial, 



The Righ tTaf Woman meritwme attention. 



One sacred Uiglit of Woman is protection 
The tender flower that lifts its head, elate 
Helpless, must fall before the blast of fate 
Sunk to the earth, defaced its lovely form. 



I do not rem 


mber to have heard you men- 


tion Thomson' 




quotations, an 


1 store them in my mind as 




offensive or defensive, amid 


the struggle o 


this turbulent existence. Of 


these is one, « 


very favourite one, from his 


Alfred, 




"Attach thee f 


rmly to the virtuous deeda 


And offices o 


life ; lo life itself, 


With all it 


vain and transient joys, sit 


loose. 




Probably I 1 


ave quoted some of these to you 


formerly, as i 


ideed when I write from the 


heart, 1 am ap 




The compass o 










ion ; so the notes of the former 








he paucity of its compass, its 


few notes are r, 




give you anoth 


r quotation, which I aui almost 


sist the lempta 


^ OU TL 0r s e u , bje U ctis C r a eHg < ion r _ 



" Tis this, my friend, that streaks our mo: 
ing bright, " &c as in p. 125. 

I see you are in for double postage, so I sb 

oeTHeavT 
to gag me. V 



I have taken up the subject in another 
and the other day, forapretu adre-^'a 1h 



THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 



Ou 


second Right — but needless here is 


Toke 
Each 
He'd 
Ther 
A tun 


ep that right inviolate's the fashion. 

was, indeed, in far fess poli.-h'd" day -.' 

ways : 
d swagger, swear, get drunk, kick up a 


Nol' 


even thus invade a lady's quiet. 


Now 


well-bred men— and you are all well- 


Most 


justly think (and we are much the 


Such 




For 
That 


Right the third, our last, our best, our 
right to fluttering female hearts the 


Whi 


h even the Rights of Kings in low pros- 


In tl 
Ther 


humbly own— 'tis dear, dear admiration I 
at bles-'d sphere alone we live and move ; 
taste that life of life-immortal love— 
s, glances, sighs, tears, fits, flirtatious, 


Who 


Is'ro' rash' L U r,s J e° in rloel £m." C ' ,armS ' 


But truce with kings, and trace with con- 


With bloody armaments and revolutions ; 
Let inaj„ty your l.rst attention summon. 
Ah ! ea ira 1 The Majesty of Woman ! 


I 


.sms^er" Uunlop. ****** T 




No. CXXXVII. 




TO MISS B , OF YORK. 




iDAM, 2 1st March, 1793. 


il 


ng many things for which I envy those 
long-lived old fellows before the flood, 
is in particular, that when they met 


Cole 


Ironical allusion to the saturnalia of the 
onian Hunt. 



DIAMOND ( AIIINKT LIUkAllY. 



In * ft "" 1 

I 



iuu dnpiM, ihr ill run of ilir chance. • hall be 

luckv oor.. I wretch upon 

w,lem,x . 1 tat • .turuj 

lo b- (he don.,;, of that oM lolboi 

k.i.d of it 

tbauKbu, ud 1 Men 

.. nled with imj walm ■ 
l. ; how much I admired brr 















.v.. awuii. 



ill wot alio - 
it deacent ,,, I believe, equally true 
of a laical foe poetry ; nuue e>>r dr-p.aed il 

cluntim of the rbimmg irlbe often employ 

twy thocurhle wbcn I eui di»po»ed (o be mrlan- 

-re u i.oi, among alt the manyro- 



Ibe l.vre 



f (be poeta — la 



Ibem will 
et of pu- 
; il|IMX 



R»rv,.uch«» urranRing v»ild (lower, in fan. 
. whopper to 

111* haunt 1-1 lii* chirping aong, watching lli.. 
■illliv pool, 

or luw. in.:; ..Ii.r tin- intrigue, of bullrrilica— 

in aliurl, aend li.m adrilt ailrr -<• nur.uit 

which thill 

palhaoflaort, 

teh.h ibaii any man living lor the pl.iu.ur.-a 

... purobaaa ; luilr, till up iha 



..... ,.i trlla, Bawllabiaf 

p 'IT) i> l.kr trundling vi.ii.jii ; >lir III. iii 
all egra Irrn atvuard of tll.aleadlo. 

■ .i.iii an.l i In- palba of 

•...!./ llirm iii dilhculllea, bail- 

ill poverty, branding ibmi with 
pluBftai Ibmi ." lli" whirling 

■n la llM iii but in ...i 
holj bara.i'a aolhary 

..-., i. but Ibe glillrr 

.i • i...nli.-iii tun, rbrlo| aim a Iroteii region, 
Maui ° 



sre 






■ra. 






/Vr.rmW, )7il3. 


• .. hM 




i.< areata* Ubaitln 










ou.pl 




.' manner in wbleb 






apple 1 


























1 don't MH a ab.l- 








ilirr. Ilul for lb.— 




r'>, doge-eared Imle page,,* 1 bad 


lloncmyM 






bate vailed on Jou 








of (he obligation. 




'V' 


111. laid 





much aa I could ever make bead agaiuel ; bill 

1 ibink I tmea mentioned eomething of a col- 

been unking: 1 aend you a prruaal of whet I 
have got together. 1 could i.ol conveniently 

aix g lance, of ibera will probably mora than 
euftlce vou. A very few of ibem are my own. 
./- I. red of Ibem, pleaaa leave 
thin v., in Mr tiii.i, of ilic kinr'a Araa. 
There ia not another copy of it 



K Mfjlgeaaa . 






BURNS.— LETTERS. 



No. CXL. 
TO MRS R 



I am thinking 

sanction, so pr 
As to the Tt 



,t got 



play, let me beg of you, 
my dear madam, let me beg of you to give us, 
The Wander, a Woman keeps a Secret; to which 
please add. The Spoiled Child— you will high- 
)y oblige me by so doing. 

a party of choice spirits— 
" To play the shapes 



Ah, 
There n, 



But as you rejoice w ith them that do rejoice 
weep, and pity your melancholy friend. 

No. CXLI. 

TO A LADY, 

IN FAVOUR OF A PLAYER 's BENEFIT. 



Yon were so very good as to promise me to 
honour my friend with your presence on his 
beneht night. That night is tied for Friday 
hrst ; the play a most interesting one. The 
u-ay to keep Him. I have the pleasure to 
know Mr G. well. His merit as an actor is 
generally acknowledged. He has genius and 

from their very silence, have the more forcible 

good things of this life in their gift, too often 
• L rightful due of reiiring, humble 



! Of all the qua 



• of Nati 



:, b, far th 



r pardon, madam ; I came 



I am ext 


emely ob 


rZi ' 


oyon fo 


your kind 




f my inte 






r which 




S — 


showed 




Lt presen 


, my = 




tionary, a 


t lea^t to 


b t w'o c 






fhe 


ist ; and 


ihvee yea 


I am 


on the 
there by 
all be at 


l'. b- 


icy, 
i of 


that list, and be appoint 
friend might be of service 
into a place of the kinp 




genu,; 
eh 1 v. 


u'l.J 


like. A 








from a 


boat 


but the b" 
would be 


' 


ity.to 




red a-y 

misery, 


and 



his is always a business purely of political 
latronage. A collectorship varies much, from 



forward, I will 
l same frankne-s 
self the honour 



No. CXLIIL 






TO MRS 








have called 
up to your 


n you 


r, the 


ight 

of 


ed puppies, sittin 

nfa U nVc h a;"fXn 

c phiz a part of yot 
, when we may ar 


ke'im 
auge 


the 



Among the profusion of idle compliments 
- aious craft, or unmeaning folly in- 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBBABT. 



No. CXLIV. 

Til II! 

''•'■• 
■ft] probablj keep ■ 
» nb mj pen ui.i lil 
I or a port', pe„ ! There u » . 






>Iun.; 



— without am idea or a wi.b bejund lueir c 

tenth, ft d melange 

Inclancholt ; I ' 



I hate ih it moment fot the aon.- ! 
• E.J I am »vir_< Is >c« thai he hi. I 

• > Irnmi la bi bow I 
ki.il bin anj iLiur ftgala. 

tar, ■mlj hap.pt to bate 
ant the amallral opportunity of <,- 

■4 of ■»} heart. ^ - 
of bk >u .ucb. Ih*l a wretch nitii.; ite 

>■' cm led mj 
i 1 Ma the theme. 

Use thing I aball pcoodlj aai, ihil I can 

a h.rber tribute of niffm, 

. more truly, 
_ .n whom I hate kcu approach 



Xo. t-VLVL 
TO THE SA.MF. 



I bare often It 



irrefnigably proMiif il Could 

fl .1 In. ud aaoh a. jou '!— .V. : 

To-morrow 1 .hall have ihe honour of waning 

farewell, ihuu firat of frirodt, and moat ae- 
eompliabad ul woman ; area ttith all ihj lima 



I Ml. 

I.. I II. - 

return jVur common-place book. I hat 

ll ,l i. true lhal ••offence. rom« 

I 









-i eaa ill bear, li i.. 
M kind of niiwrable rood luck. 

i heal the 
.. at tftBBI au opiate lo 

• r .peel for jour atili- 

Btn| and the u>.,.l fervent tti.h and prajrr 
. and bliaa, 1 hate the 



I Mil. 

TO Ji B 

You know that amour other hirb Hlflllfta. 
too bata Ibe honour l» l» n; tapreme couil 
of critical judicature, from ttbicl. U 
appeal. liucloae jou a aong »l. I 
po«rd .luce I aaw jou, and I am f 
Jou Ihe hi.lort of it. Do jou know Ih-l 
among much thai I admire in the character, 
of iboa* rreal folki whom I have 
now the honour to call mi acquaintance,, ih- 

O familj , there i. nothing charm* me 

mote than Mr U. . uneoueealable allacbmeiu 
lo lhal incomparable woman. Did jou eter. 

more lo the Divine Gi.cr of all rood ib.nr, 

;.nrhl mind, and In. • 
loo, much bejoi.u the u.ual run of tounr fel 
lot., of bit rank and fortune ; and lo all lhi>. 

>uch a woman .' but of her ( aballaat not hi i.- 

u all, indetpairof aa}ing any thing adeoiiale : 
in mj tocr, I hate eu'deatouiol lo Co ju»«ic» 



BURNS LETTERS. 

3 what would be his feelings on seeing, in the , not refuse th 
cane I have drawn, the habitation of his Lucy. Led in ,ume 
Jlam a good deal pleased with my ^perform- Willi 'li- : 

t to'lUrs O - 



man whom st 
ill have the 



it I offer as the 



■ of p..v 



mthei 






No. CXLIX. 
TO MISS . 

jour sense, taste, and worth, every senliinei.t 
arising in my breast, as I put pen to paper to 

the friend 'of m'y soul, and his amiable connex- 
ions I The wrench at my heart to think that 



To oppose those prejudices which have 
raised against me. is not the business of this 

to wage. The powers of positive vice " 
in some degree calculate, and against 



No. CL. 
TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

SSlh February, 179 
Canst thou > 



■ _ ■ Ma, 



troubles, without one friendly s 



ves the blast ? If thou cans 
of these, why wouldst thou 
y miseries, with thy inquiries 



can estimate the fatui 


y of giddy c 


aprice, or 


ward 


off the unthinking 


mischief of 


precipitate 


folly 


'ave a favour to r 


quest of you 


, madam. 










s. You know, th 


at. at the w 


sh of my 


late 


riend, I made a co 


lection of al 


my trifles 




rse which I had e 








of them local, soi 




uerile and 




and all of them u 


nfit for the 


nblic eye. 


Vi 




Fame at stal 






Intrust may live, 




e'of those 








the con- 




lious sneer of tho 














gone 


to the regions of 


oblivion; I 






for the fate of th 




pts. Will 


^.iri 












pled e ge r °of 






stowed ; an 






tance, indeed, wa 




rit. Most 




ppily for me, tha 






poss 




Mrs ' 


goodness, 


whi 


h I well know, an 


d ever will r 


"vere, will 


* 


The song inclosed 


was the one 


beginning 


wit 










•« O wa! ye wha 




a." 



,'ha" 


'i could ill be 


r UO hav h e' r so 


in' 


were yet 




my feelings at t 




nh 


le envied 


by a 


reprobate spirit 
dooms it to perc 


feteniog t 


the 


sentence 


A 






Fcoi 




I b 


a e ve JO eVau P st"ed' i 


n reflection 




y topic of 


cba 


as to myself, 1 


was like J 


d 1 
uda 


riSt 




ching the gospel 


he might melt 




kep 


hearts of those 


.11, 


bu 


his own 


























of the diffe 












ething in 








age 




magnaminity. " The 






wever h the 


feel 


ngs and sentm 
























» original 






of the hum 










low 
















bose awful obsc 








fui 


and equally bene 


ficent God ; 


and 





I do not remember, my dear Cunningham, 
that you and lever talked on the sutj-ct a 

as the trick of the crafty feu; to lead the tin- 
discerning many; or at most as an uncertain 
obscurity? which mankind can never know any 
thing of, and withjWclMhey «™ J^ 1 * * * e { 



DUMU.M) CAIll.NEl LIBRARY. 



«i-». and (or Ota reaaon, thai I will deeply 
ImbM the ""»>! of e.eri cbi.d of mine mill 
religion. If mj «on «bouid happen lo be a man 
oi (tenor, aeoiim.ni, and IHU, I .lull itaui 
add Itrjrlj 10 b.» —jojmm*. Let me flatter 

a tnellin(. arJcul, (flo»iur h.erl : and an in.- 
ar nation, uelujbied wilh ibe painter, and wr.pl 
vtub thepo.1 Lei me brut. b,m, •aadtrtag 
out in a ••••! e.enmr. lu inhale lb. t.lnij 
galea, and eujuj tbt r'owiur luluri.nc- uf ilte 
• pr.nr ; hiiuMir lb. wb.le iu Ibe blcKinni.(r 
jouth of life. II' l--a. abroad on all ualure. 

;n, and bur.l. oul mis thr glori- 



"1U>, aa ibej change. Almijlilj r'uber, 
■ ai (J«L lie rolling } tar 



to tbe» r Aad .h., b 



■'.« joo errr r 



Ut<n( joar eanh I do MX exacllj kooa . 

--pailu/a id the h-al •.: 

. coatractod at jour loo hoep 

. alemal toaiu, for ibe 



— lm I. laid oo a bad of pit.li 
j aihii* head reclined on a p 



tnadam, if I could in anj m.'a.ure be reinstated 
in ibe rood opinion of the fair circle whom tnj 



be roinpani I Mill Dl 
lig.Lnd, wbo ili.i 



, of m> gnilL Hut lu jou, oiadi 
uiucb to apologize. Vour Jood o 

forfeit it. ""n'e'rr '^L ."|SL lZA 

-d wretch". U.I apol> 



If i. rreal. were 
d u.an i. ih. 



i cm 

- I UNLOP. 



Aa I am ,u , 

f oomj. .ull'i.. .IUJ..J. aa r.en Ifea 

: r rn; lair >lleliee. Ol I 

«, betnuee I know JOU will ajm- 

.: i.onll,., a .weatliltla 

. b»j baan •■> ill. ibai 

aaafc or leaa threatened to lermi. 

'. ^..ce. Tbere had much need be 

u.ai.j plcaaure. annexed lo Ibe alataa of hue. 

band and laiber. for God know., ihej ba.a 

inanj peculiar care.. I cinM describe lojroa 

Ibe ai.x.ou.. .lerplea. hour, theae i I . 

1 ^e a bail of h ■■!— , Iinle 






life of 

I air, aaich tbine. happen ever; da] 
Goal ! what Mould become of my I lib- Hock ! 
"li» here tbil I en>) jour people of fortune. — 
A f-it-er on hit dealhbed, lak.i.f an eaerlaelin* 
lea.c of bia children, baa indeed woe enourli ; 

aooa and dau jbtera independence and friend. ; 
a bile I— but 1 .hail run diairactad if 1 ihiak 
anr lonrer on the .object ! 

I mailer ao *-ra»« :; , t 
abail mac nub ibe old s«vu b -i l lai l . 



BURNS LETT] 



Ve'U crowdiea'my meal away. " 

December 24th. 
We have had a brilliant theatre here, this 
season ; only, as all other business has, it ex- 
periences a stagnation of trade from the epide- 
mical complaint of the country, want of cash. 

casioual Address, which I wrote for the benefit- 
night of one of the actresses, and which is as 
follows: — 

ADDRESS. 



nothing like his 
ist, my prologue 
/rhymes r el) > 



"3k' 



Can jou-bu't Miss, I own I have my fears, 
Dissolve in pause— and sentimental tears— 
"With laden sighs, aud solemn rounded s. 

Rouse from his sluggish slumbers fell Repe 



Pai 

Cal 


t Ye. 
.ng l 
ug I 




- 


he take 
to bear 


'hmi" 


er' a guilty 


I 


could 


nc 


mor 


—askance the 


reature eye- 


D'y 


* ti.if 




aid I 


this fee 


ewasn 


lade for cry- 


I'll 


sol'y 


l'l 


"erL 


nt-gloo 


y, more, the world 


Tha 

'ikd 


t Mi= 


r . v 


A i 


ay I be 

ughier, 


a bride 


fixed belief, 
rief: 

ch life en- 



Peerest to meditate the healing leap : 
Wouldst thou be cured, thou silly, moping elf, 
Laugh at her follies—laugh e'en at tin self : 



To sum 


ap all, be me 


rrr, 




se; 




And 


as we 


re merry, may we 


still 


be wi 


•*• 






25th, 


Chn 


!ma. 


Mart 


ing. 


Thi 




iend. 






ing of 








o H 




hear 




"'u 


s.eV 


ncere! tha 


bles 


ings 


may 


attend 




.•L .r.i 


ng words o 


Q mv" 










Man 


of Feeling, 


' Ma 




grea 


S;»int 






e weight o 


thy 


gray 


hair 


j and 




t the a 


rrow that br 










N 




it I talk of 


autht 


rs, how 


o yon 


like 


Coup 




Task 


a glorious 






re.:g, 


n of the Tat 




ing 


a few 


scraps 


of Calvini 


tie divinity, 


is til 


rei 


gion 


of God 



itely collected, for a friend's 
ters ; I mean those which 
n a rough draught, and aft 



joyed. 

Thou man of crazy care and ceasel 
Still under bleak misfortune's blast.,, 
Bbom'd to lhat sorest task of man all 

'lo make three guineas do the work c 
Laugh in Misfortune's face— the 

Say, you'll be merry, though you 



you a perusal of my boo 



No. CLIIL 
TO MRS DUNLOP, IN LONDON. 
Dumfries, 20lh December, 1795. 
London journey of yours. In the first place, 

1 thought mi , e tin route'; 

or whether this may reach you at all. God 



. \ 111 NET UIIIIAKY. 

Ai I hop* lo Cfl a frank from mi friend 



Ai I hop* lo cH • frank from my friend 
• plain Miller, I thill, eterj ll 
luke up the pen, and ro.„ip a* 

In Hi., la.t utleU, I baTt'aboDiMbrJ of lata 

appearand in tnur C "al in. Irop.l,., ami win , 
■ 
, u.ounle a,r 



Thla appointment nor.:. 



Thla appoinlmnit it onl 






take ; and ihil il nil pel 

ii •modal 



V . I IV. 

TO Mlts . 

iOth January. 1796. 
irtM inj piiliud* la 

"""'"IT "'■ I -irhartin. 

,u.l warmly I".. I iCVbl.^aMon^ou haired 
t under. I 

Imi.jrer than I., m.t olh.r mdilidual or our 
>ci»iy ; at Anacharwi. ia an indi.pentable dr- 
idrratum lo a ton „f ih. 

Tile health )uu wi.he.l „, r ,„ ,„ ur „„,„. 
>g - a card, i., | Ihlllk, ll„wn from in r f„ 
.er. 1 he>e m.l heel, .Me ii, I,. ... i 
>.de>, nil about an hour ago. That* wick- 

Unlucky ad>rrl,.e ,,l. | |e„l (| did 

:> lo a Irirnd. and 1 am ill able lo go In 



";fh,m: 

Hie BUM |,...e 

The following deia. 






I fortaken me. 



No. CLV. 

ro MM ii m ■ P. 

■any, 179* 

hea. man; month, you hate I.ee,, i„„ ,,»,k- 
. in ...j d.bl - wl | 

.mm.llod egeln.l „, l,. r l>lj t.Jue.l . f„en.i. I 



1 bad tcer.el, b 



lookj beyond the grata. crawl aeroa. my room, and once iodaad |,e>e 



when he lookj beyond the grate. 

Yoa will hate ten our worth) and ingcmout 
friend. Ibe Doctor, lonr ere ibis. 1 hope he 
it well, and beg to be remembered to bim. I 
hate jott been reading oter again, 1 dare say, 
for the hundred and Mt.e.h nme, hit >W o/ 

I Wewnm/ and tiill I read it with 

II . humour '■ perfectly original — il 
r taw humour of Addiaoo. rtor bwift, 

oar Sterne, nor of an < body but llr Moora, 
a hate depnted me of Zduco ; 



I been before me < 



op Ibe tioa of mj neglect from among the tehee 

he baa paid me a pretty compliment, by 
CO0Cjn£ me in hit last publication. * 



no MM it— 



• I am in aoch miserable health aa to be oiierly 
i incapable of showing my loyally io toy way. 



BURNS LETTERS. 



iay perhaps see you on Saturday, but I 
ot'beatthebalL Why should I ? "man 

:r 1 Do, if jou can, and oblige le pauvre 



No. CLVII. 

TO MR CUNNINGHAM. 

Brow, Sea-balking Quarters, Ilk July, 1796. 

I received yours here this moment, and am 
indeed highly nattered with the approbation of 
the literary circle you mention ; a literary cir- 

Alas ! my friend, I fear the voice of the bard 
will soon be heard among you no more I For 

nes not! but 

these last three months I have been tortured 
with an excruciating rheumatism, which has 
reduced me to nearly the last stage. You ac 



uail;, v 



? ,f Cou 



Pale, 

the medical folks tell me that my last and only 

an exciseman is off duty, his salary is reduced 
to L.3j instead of L.ou. What way, in the 
name of thrift, shall I maintain myself and 
keep ahorse in country quarters, with a wife 
and live children at home, on L.35 ? I men- 

"tm ,h!? n be T S ild lb" 1 ^f '"uhe f°iends J °o U u 
caiTrnVs"^^ move \m "commilstoneJZ 

you know them all personally. If they do Dot 
grant it me, I must lay my account with an 
exit truly en poetL- ; if 1 die not of disease, I 

I have sent you one o 
my memory J 



but I 



:, Mr, Burns threatet 



the other 
mdlha 

you. Apropos to being 



No. CLVin. 
TO .MRS BURNS. 

if DEAKEST LOVE, Brow, Thursday. 



bathing was likely to u 



No. CLEX. 
TO MRS DUNLOP. 

U, 12/A July, 1796. 

iver, that I would not trouble you again, 

vhich has long hung about me, 'in all 
.ity will speeaily send me beyond that 
whence no traveller returns. Your 
iip, with which for many years you 

ifour conversation, and especially your 



i above is supposed to be the last produc- 

onth, nine days afterwards. He had, 
-er, the pleasure of receiving a satisfac- 



imply fulfilled. 

obable that the greater part of her 

nm were destroyed by our bard about 



THE POEMS 



ROBERT BURNS. 



NOBLEMEN AND GENTLEMEN 



CALEDONIAN HUN r. 



K\ loHfM «XH <.»XTLBII«!<, 



" inn-iu hrron atill r»n« u 

d | ipiril, eu- 

■ litwrtj. In Hie latt plac 



llhaTC, int. Fleuuri aver U> of jour 

Mffj ; ar*i maj aocial joj ■wail jour r-iurn : 

ill. or c.li.Ji. Milk tile 

' Lad Hi -ii >nd t»d in- i>ur-<. lluj 



Though much ind-btrd lo jour goodn* 
Jo &oi approach jou, m . Lord* and G« 



brad lo th« Plough, and am indrpeodenl. 

jou, mi illudrioua Couuerjm-u ; and lo u 
ln» a or id thai 1 ftarj id I 



(I jour gain! Maj « 
> jour kindling indignant glance; 
•jranuj in th- Uukr, and llllllW 
m Htople, rquallj liod jou an iocxori 



HOBEHT MIBJSa 



POEMS, 
CHIEFLY SCOTTISH. 



THE TWA DOGS : 










Until u,' damn weary grown. 




Upon a knowe they sat them down, 


'Twas in that place o' Scotland's isle, 




That bears the name o' Auld King Coil, 


About the lords o' the creation. 














Forgather'd ance upon a time. 


I've aften wonder'd, honest Luaih, 


The first I'll name they ca'd him Cceear, 


An' when the gentry's lift I saw, 


Was keepit for his Honour's pleasure; 





His locked, letter'd, braw brass coll 
Show'd him the gentleman and schoU 
But tho' he was o' high degree, 



Was made lang syne— Lord knows how lang 
He -was a gash an' faithfu' tyke, 



Nae donbt but they were fain o' ither, 

Wi' social nose whyles snuff'd and sno* 
Whyles mice and moudieworti they how 

* Cachullia's dog in Ossian's Fingal. 



ie^'ellow'ktter'd'Ge^die keeks/ 

Frae morn to e'en its nought but toilii 
; baking, roasting, frying, boiling; 



Trowth, Cffisar, whyles they'n 



DIAMOND CABINET L1I1RARV. 



I, how it comet, I ne«rr I 
I bred iu »ucb. a wot a» ih 



1 out baiih root and branch, 
icol'» pridefu' Breed to qutncl 

l.Utn kl.il llilll.ell'thr 1,,-t.r 



Kordrl.er,. Oil 

A. l«id by a Ml nkii.g brook. 

I'.e noticM on our Loird . « 

P 

How they nmu.i uVala • factor '1 

He'll .lamp ., 

He'll apprrbr 

WhUotbo) m 



. 



1 



N tblll 



lldt »Ulr., , 



They're n.r Ml BTrotehed'l ln< wad think 
Tbo' coo.la... 

Ibr .it« o'l gnr. ibrm . 

Then chance an' fortune are Me guidrd, 
1 l^otidrJ ; 



- an.) pr.r.1., 

Or tell what new 11 



■Hit II It. folk IU 



At L!eak.fi;-a 
Thr, gctlbejo,i. 

'■'. 



That merry daj the year begin.. 
They bar the door on fa I 
The nappy reek. *?i* manlling ream 

'lb* iuatio' p.p», and m—hiq' mill. 
Are hauled ruund «i' right guid will : 
The eanlie auld folk, crackin' crou»e. 
The young anr, r.nl.n' tbro' the hourf. - 
Mjr heart baa been Me fain to tee ibein, 
Thai I for joy bae barkit wi' them. 

Still it't owre true that je bae »aid, 
Sic same i. Dow cure a/ten pla) 'd. 



Far BrUain'i guUl-maU 

All' »a}ing ay ... ,„ '. th.\ bid linn : 
At oprrai an' plajn parading. 
Mortgaging, gambling, ma.querading ; 
Or ma) br, in . I..,],.- .lull, 

I < .'an luke. a wan, 

ir, and ink. whirl, 
To learn bon fan and at* |hl »urf. 

Thara, at VUmu, or VtrtttUlu, 

I .)..-,'. ..ul.l rnl.iil. ! 

Or down lulian >..la .lurtlr., 
\\ h— rr-hunl.i 

' '.'..'I ''.,"r",',n'l fa"!"', 

' Blnera'a. 



Ilechman! dtortfa! i. thai the K „i, 

Ai'r wa .ae foughlra .*' bartta'd 
For gear to gang that gale at la.t ! 



Plant hari „• ibam'i .11 b 
Eicepi for brr.km'o' li 
Or .p-.ki„' lightly o'lh-.r I. n„n,r. 
(ir .1.001, „' o' a horr or nioor.cock. 
The ne'er a bit thej'f .1 

But will It 1*11 me, Ma.ter f>«ir, 
I be »«tj thought o't need na fear the 



The gentlea ye wad ne'« 
It'l Hue, ihrj need ni 



Por a' tbe.r college* an' acbotle. 
That whm nae real ill. perplex ihem. 
They mak enow tbCDMClTOI 10 >•! tbral 
An' are the leaa they bae to Hurt ibern, 
In like proportion lea. will hurt lh.ni. 
A country Mlow at the pleurb, 
Hi> acre* till'd, hc'» right eueugti ; 



But Gentlemen, an' Lad 



Their nights unquiet, lang, an' n 
An' ev'n their sports, the.r balls, 
Their gallopin' through public pi; 



But hear their absent thoughts o' ither, 
They're a' run deils aii'jads Ihegither. 
Whyles o'er the wee bit cup an plaitie, 
The} sip the scandal potion pretty ; 
Or lee lang nights, wi' crabbit leuks 

An' cheat like ony uuhang'd blackguard. 



But this is Gentry 's life i 



The bum-clock 
The kye stood row, 
\V hen up they gat 



SCOTCH DRINK. 



e forgets his fores' or debts, 
• minds his griefs no more. 

Salomon's Proverbs, xxxi. 6, 7. 



O Thou, my Muse '. guid auld Scotch Drink ; 
Whether thro' wimpling worms thou jink, 
Or, r.ehly brown, ream o'er the brink, 
In glorious faem, 

Let husky Wheat the haughs adorn, 



POEMS. 



But when thou pours thy si 



Food fills the wame, an' k 

Tho' lifes a gift no worth r. 

When heavy dragg'd wi' pit 

But oil-d b 

The wheels o' life gae down- 



Yet humbly kind in time o' ne. 

'Ihepoormai 
His wee drap parritch, or his 1 

Thou kitchen; 

Thou art the life o' public hi 

But thee, what were our fairs a 

Ev'ii godly meetings o' the sau 

liy thee i,,,;- 

When gaping they besiege the I 

Are doubly hr 



an' freal 



Then Bur 






ev'ry chap. 
for aim or steel ; 
', wi' "sturdy wheel,' 
Till block an' studdie ring and reel 



■ligh', 



How furabl.n' cuifs their deari 
Wae worth tl 
towdiegets a social ti.ght 
Orplackfrae 



DIAMOND CAlllM.l L1IIU.VKV. 



■ 



Alai» t that c'rr w; M«a >> 

I 

Uul DwOJ <Ull, Wrrt (h^.r »'i 






1 »i.h au'.d V.!liul Hill 

Poor pluUM^iiUI «- 



' kubar «r.uc 



Ml.' pi.;, an jr.*.. I 
\c<-?< . IWO . . bomt.. ib..... ! 

- 
Ai .U-- . 



mm*l O ,wji_, i«t! 



TtttwillmrlmkM 

\Ht BU lb V' 

Hud up lb, baa', U..I ! ana*. l-ur». lbri< 



tan \m> pkayu* 

TO TUB 

51 0T( it Kl PR] ^l S l.\ H\ i', 

I.N Till 

hoi n 



Dktiliatlaa! '»■' and b.»i . 

Hum «rl ibou lo.l I 



... ' .bit... 

wJt.i) ID.!..*' UUr «fl..J. 



Alaa ! m, rouprt n 



!. mi ' rr..: ■ 



T-ll (b.tn «hi baa lh» . fa 

An' m.,.- 

si.nd forth. ■■>' l.ll j on Hrrmirr Vntl< 
Th« boi>»,l, op»... n«k-u Irutb : 
l.ll b.. n o' ».■.• «■■■ Scotland', droutb. 

• bumble- 
Tha mock I. <!»>,! Haw j* K/uib, 



Don on, 
Spaak out, ... 
Lrl poata an' ; 

If boontjf lb'; 



an planch an' rlaom t 



Parb, 

In rarb'rmr lolra jc wrr# oa .lack ; 
>o» .land ». • 
St'tr claw j our luj. an' :... . 

But ii.k .our arm. an' 1 

Befortlh.u. a'. 

Paim Scotland grading owrt bar ibriati. 
Her mutcbk.o .loop aa loom', a whi.oa, 

Au'd d ticimn in a buatl*. 



Scotch PW aBh wi— , of »« 

Scotland and li.« Aulhtr 
-ratrful tbaiiki. 



BURNS.- 


-POEMS. 


Then on the tither hand present her, 
A blackguard Smuggler right behint her, 
An' cheek-for-chow, a chuffie Vintner, 


For G-d sake 
An' to the muck 


Colleaguingjoin, 
Fickinj her pouch as bare as winter 
Of a' kind coin. 


An' strive wi' a 


Is there, that bears the name o' Scot, 
But feels his heart's bluid rising hot, 


Yon ill-tongue 
Way taunt you v, 



Trodei'them 


re nut , 


sight ! 


But could I lik 


.Mm!; 


in r,,, 1U-' 




Oreo 


3 like Bos 


There's some s 


irk-.-.' 


s I wad dr 






The kind, auld, c; 



An' sportin' lady. 
1 bluid o' auld Bocomu 



Could he some commutation broai 
[•11 pledge my aitb in guid braid S 






To round the [ 

To 
Then echo thro' St S 



Dempster, a true blue Scot I'se warrat 
Thee, aith-detesting, chaste Kilkerran ;* 
An' that glib-gabbet Highland Baron. 

The Laird o' Graham ; 
An' ane, a chap that's danm'd auldfarra 



Ers'k-ine, a spunkie Norland billie ; 
True Campbells, Frederick an' Uaq ; 
An' Livingstone, the bauld Sir Willie ; 

An' mony ithers, 
Whom auld Demosthenes or Tully 

Wight own for brithers. 



She'll no desert, 
chosen Five-and-F 



snap your ngers, P. "^ 
God bless your Honours a' your days, 



Toaet 



se, my boys ! 






Or Faith ! I'll wad my new pleugh-pettle. 


POSTSCRIPT. 


YeMIsee'torlang, 






Let half-starved slaves, in warn 


Anither sang. 


See future wines, rich clusterin 






This while she's been in cank'rous mood, 


But blithe am 


Her lost Militia fired her bluid ; 




(Deil na they never mair do guid, 


Tak aff their 


Play'd her that pliskie !"> 




An' now she's like to rin red-wud 


What tho' their Phoebus kinc 



Or hour. 


The' 
ded forth dishc 










Inh 


ngry droves. 




Their 
They d 


sun's 


a burden on their sho 


fter; 


March! 


s 


old Ho 

guid m 


less nf the A 
metimesstnd, 
Jd Scotch. Dri 


d'i'oii. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBKAHY. 



Ilicir bauldnt ibourhl*. 



Dul brine » Seotntan frar In. hill, 

eb«k a Bl(hlaiid cfll, 

.N«j. tucb If roj»l (iturft't will, 
llr hu w though i but how IU kill 



ol-brarlnl doubling. I»a»r liim; 

baaaaablmi 

d a ..rlcon.. g,r. h.m ; 

a.,' .baa i.rf.'.. 



in'Muooi 

Hut Irll n U 

»M Irll ,1. 

■Vuttmrf, m» li'd, IMB) 
Jill «b»r« joti B| a , jn crap, o' hralbcr. 



Mil. B0L1 I MIL* 






I f- r. a ..morn Sandai o- 



I ' 



V-ing do»c 
. . -.. aaW 1*11 



* ibird that ;xd a a?, a-b«k. 
1-u' g.j thatdaj. 



III. 

cr'd, laug, an* 

p, hip nHp in* 



.1 da,. 



IV. 



\\ i - blDMl »ff. ijiiulh 1. • - 

I ibiak ••aaam u kaa bmi 

tan ili.i boiii.i. r«cr, 

laogbia' 4. a h« .pik, 



•' My nm< i> r* n Tour rronir dMI 
Tb« i.r.im fncud .. ha'., 

A.. 1 ihi. ,. - 
Ao' that*. II 

I'm f.uu lo . II 

r.o ; klf.| pall 

M. 
yuoll. I, 'Willi .' m, hr,n I'. | d, 






| -h, In rldin" irr»ilb 

I • ra» braid tlall 

pia' ba/«<oot, thrang, 
la .ilk. aa' •carltla glmr, ; 
H .' awoaj wiUk tkmm in im.hu a whang 

Mil. 
Wh-n bjr the plait «.«■ mt our ooa*, 

Wrri u r«|W up »i' ha'pence, 
A jrr'rd* gloar U>ack Hon, <•< thro... 



r- tiandi a abed (o lend ihe .boa'r 



BURNS— POEMS 



ip grace-proud faces ; 
To chairs lhat day. 



'i' arm reposed on the chair-tack 
He sweetly does compose him ! 



tlnkenn'd thai day 



Should Horrnit 

The vera sight o' . 
To's ain het harr 



Hear how he deal 

Wi* rattlia' an' wi' 
Ivow meekly calm, now 

His lengthened chin, h 

Oh, how the; tire the h 



Wi* fright that day. 
XIII. 



got the -word o' God, 



An 


aft', 




Fast, fast lhat day 
XVII. 


Wee 










orthodo 


zy raibles, 


Tho' 






art he weel believes 




oks 




But, 




, th 




So 




il, he hums them ; 


Altho 


' hi 




aal wit and sense, 


Like hafflin 


-ways o'ercomes him 








At times that day. 








XVIII. 



Now bat an' hen, the change-house fills, 
Here's ervingTurfoTbakeVa'nd" gills, 

While thick an' thrang, an' loud an' lang, 

Wi' logic, an' wi' Scripture, 
They raise a din, that in the end, 

Is like 10 breed a rupture 

O' wrath that day. 

XIX. 

Than either School or College 
It kindles wit, it waukens lair, 

To kittle up our notion 

By night or day. 

XX 

The lads an' lasses, blythely bent 
To mind baith saul and body, 

An' sleer about the toddy. 
On this ane's dress, an' that ane's leuk, 



i, like Highland swords 



Divide the join! 

Our very saul does harrowt 

Wi' fright that day 

XXII. 

Filled fou o' lowin' bruns'lane,' 
Wha's rasin' flame and seorchin' heat 

Wad n. e lt the hardest whun-stane ! 
The half asleep start up wi' fear, 

hen presently "it does appear, 



DIAMOND CADI.NET LIBRARY. 



t>s e dr.ss. tier k*bbOi - 

The las.es llir; err shier. 
The euld guidmen, about ib« rrocr, 
..iber. 
ISM l«). 
And gi'e* them '< lik* a leiber, 

Fu' lang that day. 

! r him ibai gets naa las. 
that bar nactbing ! 
Seas' ne»J h.i he lo say a grace 
I. . braw clailhing ! 

How boa me lade se wants. I. 



hope, an' lone, an' drink, 



Their hearts o' .lane, gin night, are gase 

A. oft b .«) Ilr.h M. 

-re fou o' loee disin* j 
■e are fou o' brandy : 
i that da j begin, 
a hougbmegandie 

Some ilher da;. 

DEATH AND DOCTOR HORNBOOK. 
A TBI'* iTORT. 
Some book* arc liea frae end to end. 



Is just U true', the Deil'i in hell 
Or Dublin city! 

That e'er he nearer come, oureel* 
'Samucklepily. 


j The Clachan yill bad made me canly, 
I was nu fou, but just had plrnly ; 

1 .1... litre 'd while,, bul yet took leul a j >• 

■ inch.-. ; 
An' hillocks, stanr., an' bushe., kenli'd ajo 
Frae ghaists an' wilcbes. 


The 'J'Zirrl!!''kZn. f o7'' e 
lo count bcr horns. wi' a' inj pow'i. 


But whether sho bad tin'. 

1 couldna lell. 


I was come round aboul thl lull. 
And lodlin down on WIUVimW, 
Setting my stall aji' a' mj skill. 

To keep me sicker; 
Tko' leeward while., .gains! ins will. 


1 ■ l/i/ne did forgather. 

All' awfu' ssstlle, .„il owre lr shsjullfr, 

I leer-dam 

A lliree-Uetl leisler on llie IthaT, 

La;, large an' Inf. 


lis stature .,,i„M lung Scotch ells Iwa, 
hap* thai e'er I saw, 

. Ill shanks. 


'1 ■ 1 1 ' hae j* teen 

When ilher folk ar* busy aawin' J"» 
It ►eemdlomak'akiiidV slan'. 

Bul r.anbing epak : 
At length, sats I, ' Friend, where je gaun, 

■ to back?' 


Ii epak right bowa,_* Mr name la Drain, 
Bui b. i,i lie, M. ■_ yuoih I, • Oast, failb. 
Ye're maybe come lo slap my brralb ; 
Bul lent me, billie j 

1 s gnl'j • ' 


' Guidman,' quo' be, « put up your whittle, 
I'm no design'd lo try ils mellle ; 
But if I did, I wad 1 

Out owre my beard,' 


a] !' says I, • a bargain be't; 

. jour hand, an' sa* we're gree't; 
We U ease our abanka an' lak a aeat. 

Come gie'a your news ; 
Thi* while t ye hae been mony a gate, 


* This rencounter happened in seed-time, 
178*1 

t An epidemical ferer was then raging id 
that country. 



•Ay, ay,' qno' he, an' shook his bet 
•Its e'en a lang, lang time indeed 
Sin' I began to nick the thread, 



e Hornbook's* ta'en up the tr 
An' faith he'll wai 

;n Jock Hornbook i' the Clad 



.' pouk tny hips. 



rhey hae pierced mony a gallant hea; 
3ut Doctor Hornbook, wi'his art 



< Hornbook was by, wi' ready a: 
And had sae fortified the part, 



stood the shock ; 
I might as weel hae tried a quarrv 

O' hard whin rock. 



Eaifh their dise 

• An* then a' di 
Of a' dimensior 
A' kinds o' box 

Their Latin nai 



* This gentleman, Dr Hornbook, is, pro- 
issionally, nbrother of the Sovereign Order of 
le Ferula y but by intuition and inspiration, 

at once an Apothecary, Surgeon, and Phy- 

t Buchan's Domestic Medicine. 



— JPOEMS. 

The Farina of beans and pease, 

Aqua-fontis, what you please, 

He can content 

' Forbye some n, 



Sal- 


„.._._ g-^^-y---™ 


• Wa 
Quo 
His 

Nae 


es me for Johnnie Ged's Hole i now ;' 
I, • If that the news be true ! ' 

doubt they'll rive it wi' the plough ; 
They'll ruin Johnnie:' 


The 

Kirk 
They 


ays, ' 'te needna yoke the pleugh] 
yards will soon be tilled eneugh, 

Tak ye nae fear ; 
11 a' be trenched wi' mony a shengh 




In twa-three year. 


Has a 


are I killed ane a fair strae death, 

That Hornbook 's'skill 
ad a score i' their last claith, 
By drap an' pill. 


•Anl 

Win, 


onest Wabster to his trade, 



His only son for Hornbool 
The lad, fortwagu:dg,ni 



In Hornbook's care ; 
Horn sent her aff to her lang hame, 
To hide it there. 

' That's just a swatch o' Hornbook's wa 
Thus goes he on from day to day. 
Thus does he poison, kill, an' slay, 

An's weel paid for't: 
Yet stops me o' my lawfu' prey. 

Wi' his damu'd dirt. 

' But hark ! I'll tell you of a plot, 

I'll nail the self-conceited so", 

Asdead'saherrin'; 

Hegetshisfalrin':' 

But just as he began to tell. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



mi: niu< a 



h it ib» rattle plough. 
■■rath, 

. "-.- perching red Lrrul 






li.rn. lirrc-,1.. the tunny d»Y«. 



While ibiek 

i. ll.'- ancient bror;h of A)'r. 
Ill » bun m.pired, or haply pre.. 1 .! ■ 

j Blmpaon't* wberi'a ih* laA 

iDtll'd by all-directing Fat. 

Or v. briber wrapt in uir.i I 

i mi he knew not when, nnr 

ITi- dr.,».j Dungeon-clock | li»«l uumbri'd 

And Wallace tuwerf bid .worn the fact wni 

. »ith .ullrn-tounding 

Tbro' lb. .nil night da.h'd hoar.e alonr; the 

I I uk'd in N.iurt'. clo.rd.V I 

. lower and 



Th, 


'• 


1. Imrnih thr .1 


, rI 


beam. 








rhtliri 














on either band 














Tht 


h. „'"; 

du.ky (u 




lag 


win?. 


l-o 


m. dart ihroufh 


M 


midni.h 




..'lb. 




a. 


■■■.II, 



I 



1.1. get or. ■ 

-won crap [ 



Are doora'd bj man, that tyrant o'er the , i hr (j^t, „,, Mm n >ng 



laid Itnjr h'« *iry ahape uprcVr., 

■ 
On warlike Ub.mr, i„„-., 

. i .1 o»re it. Mnc 

., a' lb., can Mplain 



■ 

1 . I . km - • - .-• 



Thai he, .1 l.on 'on frae BM Adam. fol i 

'" "a'l I be b«d. 

ind Willi am.., 

in erery artb ; 
. - ..uie nerbor look hi. e'e 
'en a trx'd an* angrr baVTl 



r" 
I doubl n*\ frirn', jell ibmk je*r» oae.heep. 
low , Ance je were Mreekit o 'er frae bank to bank ! 



► A noted ta.ern at the Au'.d B 

f The two .ie.pl**. 

% The e//*-hav>k, or faleou. 



BURNS POEMS. 



rolling, mouldy, gloom- 



Where twa wheel-barrows tremble wheu they 

Your ruiu'dformless bulk, o' stane an' lime, 
Compare wi' bonnie Brigs o' modern time ? 
There's men o' taste would tak' the Ducal- 

Tho' they should cast the very sark and 

Ere they would grate their feelings wi' the 

O' sic an ugly Gothic halt as yon. 



An' th 




y eild I'm 


sal 


fo 


I'll be 


- ! _ 










e little ke 


about th 








i-three wi 








When 








-,: 


Wi' de 


epening de 


uges o'er 




th 


When 


r ni ill? h 
ing Coil, 


lis where 


spr 


ngs 


Or stat 




s mossy fo 






Or wh 


re lhe°Gi 




nds 


hi 



Or haunted Garpalf draws his feeble source 



ecture, trowth, I needs must 
ie thankit that we've tint the 



* A noted ford, just above the Aulc 

+ The banks of Garpal Water is o 

few places in the West of Scotlan 



Of any r. 

Fit only 

Or frosty maids ft 

"- - ifsoflattr " 



lat would disgrace the b 



is wha held the noti 



Fancies that our guid Brugh denies protec- 
nd soon may they expire, unblest with re- 
Were ye but here to share my wounded feel- 
Ye worthy Vroveses an' mony a Bailie, 



Ye godly Councils wha hae blest this town ; 
Ye godly Brethren of the sacred gown, 
Wha meekly gae your hurdies to the smiters ; 
And (what would now be strange) ye godly 



A' ye do 
Were ye 
How wc 


but here, what would ye say or do 
uld your spirits groan m deep ve 


To see e 

And ago 

V, hen ■. 
Nae Ian 


ch melancholy alteration ; 
nizing, curse the time and place _ 

ger°Rev'rend Men, their countr 


In plain 


braid Scots hold forth a plain br 


Nae Ian 
-Meet o» 
But sta 


er thrifty Citizens, an' douce, 
mrel, corky-headed, graceless G 


Men, th 


vment and ruin of the country ; 


Whaw 


iste v'our weel-hain'd gear on d— 
new Brigs and Harbours ! 


Now 


aaud you there 1 for faith ye've 


And m 


ick^mair than ye can mak 



As for your Priesthood, I shall say but little, 
Corbies and Clergy are a shot right kittle : 



§ A small landing-place above the large key. 



l:i DIAMOND CAMNET LIHKARY. 

Nm tn»ir the Council waddlee down tbe 
In alt ibe pomp of ignorant conceit ; 






ir c»ti*T*d Ib'ral trl 



lodllaf vtrulb. 

THE OBJ . 



rthat farther cl.ibmuUicr might been 
IB, if efvkan )i»d blood lo 
> man Ma t'.ll . 
own tbe fllal'l 



Kilmarnock wabaien, bw£a and claw, 

I ..-Mr', in a raw,*' 



; f I... ao near, 



n J oMxtuf oa tl 
.. .,/ iaa .!i-«t haft i ». . '">. 



bweet l.ti.. Beaut; hud al 

• .d with flow'rj haj, came Rural 

Aad Summer, w.th h.a eWrwU-baaHlof ejai 

.- Pleolj. with her torn 
Led jellow Autumn wreathed ari 






with cloudlet* brow ; 
Nan follow 'd'tourare with h.. martial 
From whoa the real wild-wood; 



with mild benignant air, 
A female form, came rrom the I 
Learning and Worth ia reraal ettaaa 
rrom aimple tninne, their long-kned abode: 
Laea, a> hue-robed Peace, crow u 'd w itb a hazel 



:iapa ahangaa at 

xl ibe bauiia lo daud hrr 



I .t.,ure, 
U hall w rang ber. 

I 
And (kit meal; ahe'll whang bar 

:. !b.. ..... 








t rigour ; 








■ 


I ibe inn lhatdaj. 


TW. 


in 1.: 


mettle oa the creed. 










.. a carnal weed. 












er the flock to feed. 


An 1 




each trauagrraaion ; 


* Alluding 


to a eeoaW ballad which »•• 


madeo 


..f (be !at« reiereod uu 




Mr L. 


la .be Leigh K.rk. 




a. >er. M. 






■**-. a. 



BURNS POEMS. 



Now auld Kiknnrnock, cock thy tail, 
An' loss thy horns fu' canty ; 

Nae mair thou'lt rowt out-o«re the dal 
Because thy pasture's scanty ; 

For'lapfu's large o' gospel kail 
Shall £11 thy crib in plenty, 



vin. 

Lang Patronage, wi' rod o' aim, 

'■: .. .... r- 

As lately Fenwick, sair forfairn, 



Come bring the tither mu 
' i' here's for a conclu 
very New Light* mc 
•om this time forth C 



An' like a godly elect bairn 
He's waled us out a true ane, 

An' sound this day. 



Sow R— 



IX. 



But steek your gab for 
Or try the wicked town o 

For there they'll think 
Or, nae reflection on j ou 

Ye may commence a si 

An' turn a carpet wean 



Though Heretics may laugh 

For instance; there's yoursel' 

God knows, an unco Calf! 

An' should some Patron be so 



Auld Hornie did the Laigh Kirk watch, 

An' aye he catch'd (he tither wretch, 
To fry them in his caudrons : 



But, if the Lover's raptnred hour 

Shall ever be your lot, 
Forbid it, every heavenly Power, 

You e'er should be a Stot ! 



See, see auld Orthodoxy's faes, 
She's swingin' through the city ; 

Hark how the nine-tail'd cat she plays! 
I vow it's unco pretty : 

There Learning, wi' his Greekish face. 



Her plaint this day. 

xn. 

But there's Morality himsel', 
Hear, how he gies the tither yell, 



a famous Bullock ! ' 



Dr Taylor of Norwicl 



ADDRESS TO TUE DEIL. 



DIAMOND CABINET L1UKAUY. 

An' duwlcl, iwal-plnt Hawki.'i 



Wua ,u Jon ci 
Spairge. aboul 



To »kelp ao' acmud poor uV<i h 



(ireal ■• thj po« r, an" |trr»l thj l»Ui« j 

. ii*mr : 






VY»' b«lj (1Mb 

I 



Tb» ,-ti.irel '■ ■>» ni*™ J'"* ak*a«, 

■ 

Awl Je f . . 

Oo whaling ninff*. 

Lrt Warloeka prim. «n' wi b»r'd hart, 
.'ou oa ragaetd ■>«<•» 

..jij mp. 



\Mirn ihowra dlaaolra tbe ma»j Lot 
An' lluil lt>«r jiiif-liti > icj-bvuru. 



An' »fl jour mou-int-r 

' tba( Utt W urni.k it . 



dr. ,lf«n e . lo l.li : 
Thr jounr;r»t liruihrr je wad <*bi|. 



Thra jou, m »ul.l, it.ic-drm«ii>K ■ 

■ >M incuf. 
. Ml • . ur.'.l brogur. 
. -jour I.'! 
An' gml ihe IsiaM world • iba*. 
'.M«j»i rumrd »'. 

, .1 »iln 

Ye did prnci.l jour .n 



Ao' bow j« r>< bim i* jour ihrall, 
■ an' bail. 



An' now. aold Cloota. I ke i j*'r« (bir.iin 
I 

Some lucklcaa bour will ,eod b.m liniio', 
lojuur 



BURNS POEMS. 



But faith: he'll tu 
i 

But, fare ye wee 



DEATH AND DYING WORDS 

POOR MAILIE, 
THE AUTHOR'S ONLY PET YOWE. 

As Mailie, an' her lambs thegither, 
Were ae day nibbling on.the tether, 
Upon her cloot she coost a hitch, 
An' owre she warsled in the ditch; 
There, groaning, dying, she did lie, 
When Hughoc * he came doytm by. 






« Tell him, he was 
a' aye was gu id to i 
a.' now my dying cl 



•An' may thev r,ever learn the gates 
Of ither vile, wanrestfu' pets ! 



n' bairns greet for them when they 're dead, 
« My poor toop-Iarab, my son an' heir, 



■r forgather up " 



hink upo' vour inither, 
to ane aniiher. 

it Hughoc, dinna fail 



POOR MAILIE'S ELEGY. 
nt in rhyme, lament in prose, 



The last sad cape-sts 



Thro' a' the town she trotted by hi 
A lang half-mile she could descry hii 
VVi' kindly bleat when she did spy b 



I'll say't, she never brak a fence, 

Thro' thievish greed. 

Our bardie, lanely, keeps the spence 
Sin' Mailie's dead. 

Or, if hi wanders up the howe, 
Her living image in her yowe 
Comes bleating to him, owre the knnwe, 

For bits o' bread ; 
An' down the brinv pearls rowe 
For Mailie dead. 

She was nae get o' moorland tips, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBHAKV. 



■ forbe* 



PVaajc 






'Ibau Uailiedea 

Wir worlh the mm <rb> Crat dl 
hud* Iking— * n 

I: UlJugU.dfrl. - 

. -I our ».' cra| 
Kor UaUll dead. 



TO J. BYN& 



r of ^-.cl« I 









Ju.l no* PW Itrn (he Cl p" rh 
W, bar.* aoddU'. -ork.ng pr.« 

■ 



-Jlu'caab, 

Fa. bcuua ImbU) 

1 rh,mc foe fan. 

M ruleam, Uckleea lot, 

Am' Cuued kj fortune io ine groat : 



Hut -till lb.- main I'm thai way bent, 

I red jou, honest man. lak leal ! 

Ye'll .haw jour foil,. 

lib* potts, much >our betier,, 

liar ibuugbi lb*) had in.ured iht i 
A' future age. ; 

Now uiotb. deform in >bap 

II,. .unknown page..' 

Then farewell hope, o* laurel-! 
T.i garland mi noatk i 

than bu., plough. 

Are whi.tliiigihraiig. 

An' leach ibe lanrl, height, an* limn 

>i. ra«l 

l.li rata ahausnapiha btlllte tUMd i 
Than, all unknown. 



Hut wb, </ d, 
Thru top and m 



I 

Dance b, fu' light. 

The migie-wand then lei u. wield ; 
.e.au'-lorlj\ .peel'd, 

■■•j, tovlaaaaaU, 

..edf.ee, 
Cornea BOatin , 

| r,' pace. 

mVi da, draw, near 

An' larewell cbeerfu' tankard, foamio', 
Aa' farewell dear deluding woman, 

at jo,. : 

O Life '. how pleaaanl in lb, morning, 
You.g Pans.', r.,. .be bill, adorning ! 
Co,d paining Caution '• leweou .coruuig. 



We wander there, we wander be 
. .,.11 Ibe brier, 

.'u mindful that t:, 

Atnang the .lea, ei 

md though lh« p - 



r r »l. 

Ibe; drink Iba aweet ar 

Bat ci 



BURNS — POEMS. 



They close the day. 
' others, like your humble servan' 



Is Fortune's tickle Lun 

E'en 

Beneath what light she 



And kneel, 'YePow'rs! 

' Tho' I should wander it 

In all h, 

Grant me bat this, I ask i 



An' jill an' whisky gie to a 



But gi'e me real, sterling v 
An' I'm < 

• While ye are pleased to k( 



O ye douce folk, that live by rule, 
Grave, tideless- blooded, calm and cool 
Compared wi' jou—O fool ! fool ! fool 

How much anlike! 
Your hearts are just a standing pool, 

Nae hair-brained sentimental traces 
In your unlettered nameless races ; 
In arioso trills and graces 

Ye never stray, 
But grcuissimu, solemn basses 



if ferly tho' ye do despise 



—Ye ken the road— 

Whilst I— but I shall hand me there- 
Wi' you I'll scarce gang ony where- 
Then, Jamie, I shall say nae mair, 

Content wi' ou to mat"—— " U ' & 



Whare'er I gang. 



A DREAM. 

Thoughts, words, and deeds, the statute blames 

But surely dreams were ne'er indicted treason. 

[On reading, in the public papers, the Lau- 

4, 17S6, the author was no sooner dropt 
asleep, than lie imagined himself transported 



the following Address.] 

I. 

to your Majesty ! 



I see ye're complimented thrang, 
By mony a lord an' lady, 
Hod save the King' 's a cuckoo sang 



aye unerring steady, 

On sic a day.' 

IIL 



my sov'reign king, 



ut"f 


icts are chiels that w 


U ■ 
An 


less, will gang abo 
Than did 



Far ba'l frae at lhai I a.p.re 
To blame jour lee;..laiioii. 

To rule (b>. unfhl, nation ! 
Hutfailb" I oiuckl. doubl. mj .Si. r, 

..led mini.traliou 
To cbap.. wha. in ■ I t 
Wad teller l.ilM 1 1. , 

Tu.u court.) on da.. 

\ I. 
>*■ ri»o iul4 Hrilain peace. 
.h,n. 10 plahtn ; 
■i 
T.lt .be b.. .«». a i—i.r ; 

I,', (leu. 

I I I 



[BBAKT. 

i; Acirironrt win «h. i , 

i* lunnj queer Sir Job 






«.«,Wcl. 






U n bu lent. 



V 



.'Wale.. 



Kor.oej. yoo»»pc««<..eo-W, 

I'm UbM 

B«l MM d«. je rot J T' 

Au'cur.. joor I . | 

. . palea. 
Or rallied dice «■ I 

U. oigal or d»j. 

XL 



feo. «e mat Co.. 
for a' lieu eiuh-n-a-ci c. , 



rannj queer Sn 



u*. 



W.J been a dr™. coinpleirr : 

ll..lbe,„. 
TUn. .»,tb! an'r.i. « 

Or iroulb, jell Mala the rnilra 

Some bj . 

Mil. 
Y..UI>C mil Tim lilrrk., I learn. 

,.,. .1.-.., ...'.I ■,.:. 

h, \,„u.' b.ri.r . 
Hoi nr.t haur out. lb. i ' 



VII. 
Ye. lastly, botinie blouoOM ■' 
< daililj. 

Bw'awbimpidMN 

An' ri. jou U.I. »-pl.nl, I 
Brkbk boj. .< 

i ju.i than »i 



rVcUa»lh«dar 



KAN VIKIT-I 



An Hunger 'd maukin ta'cn her w.y 

To kau-vard. green. 
While laithlew uaw. ilk rl 
Wba/e i. 



| crrtain rojal tailor*. 

I i Doan, a lerin 01 uu.u'i 

.f.M'J'htraoii'i 



BURNS 


POEMS. 181 


And whan the day had closed his e'e, 


Here, rivers in the sea were lost ; 




There, mountains to the skies were tost : 


Ecu i' the spence, right pensivelie, 


Here, tumbling billows mark'd the coast, 


Igaedtorest. 


With surging foam ; 




There, distant shone Art's lofty loast, 


There, lanely, by the ingle-cheek, 


The lordly dome. 






That nll'd wi' boast-provoking srneek, ; 


Here Doon pour'd down his far-feteh'd 






An' heard the restless rattons squeak 


There, well-fed Irwine statelv thuds : 


About the riggiu'. 


Auld hermit Ayr staw thro' his woods, 




On to the shore ; 


All in this mottie, misty clime, 






With seeming roar. 


How I had spent my youthfu' prime, 




An' doue nae-thing, 


Low, in a sandy vallev spread, 


But stringio' blethers up in rhyme, 


An ancient borough rear*'d her head ; 


For fools to sing. 


-. . , .- ';: .-.' -'.,,..,•,-., 




She boasts a race, 


Had I to- guid advice but harkit, 


To every nobler virtue bred, 


I mieht bv this, hae led a market, 


And polish 'd grace. 








By stately tower or palace fair, 


While here, half-mad, half-fed, half-ssrUt, 




Is a' th' amount. 


Bold stems of heroes, here and there, 






I started, mutt 'ring, blockhead ! coof ! 




And heaved on high my waukit loof, 


With feature stern. 


To swear by a' von starry roof, 




Or some rash aith. 


My heart did glowing transport feel, 


That I, henceforth, would be rhyme-proof 


To see a race A- heroic wheel, 




And brandish round the deep-dyed steel 






When click ! the string the sneck did draw ; 


While back-recoiling seem'd to reel 


An'jee! the door gaed to the wa' ; , 


Their southron foes. 


An' bv my ingle-lowe 1 saw, 




Now bleezin' bright, 


His Country's saviour,* mark him well! 


A tight outlandish Hizzie, braw, 


Bold Richardton's ± heroic sweU ; 


Come full in sight. 


The chief on Sark § : w ho glorious fell, 




In high command ; 


Ye need na doubt, I held my whisht ! 


And he whom ruthless fates expel 


The infant aith half-form't was crush't } 


His native land. 


I giowr 'das eerie 's I'd been dusht 




In some wild glen ; 


There, where a sceptred Pictish shade || 


When sweet like modest worth, she blush't, 


Stalk'd round his ashes lowly laid, 


And stepped ben. 


I mark'd a martial race portray'd 


Green, slender, leaf-clad holly boughs, 


Bold, soldier-featured, undismay 'd ' 




They strode along. 


I took her for some Scottish Muse, 




By that same token : 


Thro' many a -wild, romantic grove, "J 






Would soon been broken. 





A wildly-witty, rus> 


c grace 




Her eye, ev'n turned 


on empty space, 
un'dkeen with honou 




Pown flow'd her 

Till half a leg was s 

And such a leg ! my 

Co 

Sae straught, sae ta 

Na 


obe, a tartan sheen, 
rimply seen ; 




aid only peer it ; 
er, tight, and clean. 




Her mantle large, 
My gazing wonder c 
Deep lights and shad 


of greenish hue, 

es, bold mingling, thr 


ew 


And seem 'd to my a. 


tonish'd view, 
ell-kuown land. 





* The Wallaces. f William Wallace. 
% Adam Wallace of Richardton, cousin to 

§ Wallace, Laird of Craigie, who was 

Ormond, at the famous battle on the 'banks of 
Sark, fought, anno 144S. That glorious vic- 
tory was principally owing to the judicious 
conduct and intrepid valour of the gallant 
Laird of Craigie, who died of his wounds after 

roilus, king of the Picts, from whom the 

buried, as tradition says, near the f .m:'v--.r 
; of the Moutgomeries "of Co.UMd, v.hefe his 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

r fur Ion Or tore, wilh noble ■ 



Di.pcii, iag good. 

With derp-dnick reverential i«,» 
The |,»roed tin and ton I ,aw, 

Qod ana Nuan'iUn 
The, ru> 

Thl*. ill iU tourer and ■ 

Auioadan. 

'. bra>e ward f I well could »pj, 
llenc'alb eld - 
Who call'd on Fjui'. low •lauding bjr. 

Where DUJ a 

■ thOMn 

DIAN trXUND. 

With inij.liif.drrp, a.lonitb'd .tare, 

I 

Of kuwi 
When wilh .nrU'r .i.lrr'. t,r 

• All bail ! m< own in. 

la la- il... ulinnt. regard! 
No longer ■ 

I coax lo gi»« lbe> >u 
At- 

• K .. • - .,■-■ 

■ .: L«ud, 

;mmao<l, 

- among Ibric tbt/c 
Home teach the luJ. .da 



•And when the bard, or boar} »age, 
Thej bind lb* wild poetic rage. 



f ■ iltrton the bran and joo ng ; 

ugUe. ; 

'.let laj.;" 
. Ike oeai -t the late Doctor, and 



'Hie nulla Hard. 



le accplic'a bajt. 

r * ar - »"ig"M 
Vl,"lu'b ; m.g'li".u. 

ThanrioHBun. 



vll,,, 



:':'•; 



k. .11 : 



■ 1 lo a dialrit-t-apacr. 

To in aia ibt tmbrjotlc trace 

111 ru.H ll.r.l | 
And careful BOl 

UM guard. 

• OribtMUB I— folia mj name; 
W brre once lh- < 

Haldrul 

I mora'd tbj embr.o tuneful llame. 
.1 bour. 

• W,ih fuiurr bope. I oft would gale. 

.,lllr r«lj Wajl, 

lb; rud'lj ca/olld, cbiming phraae, 
Fired al tbe aimple, art! 

• I oaw the* •*»» tbe aooi 

- i. ibrdo-bin* roar; 

I ' Ibe .«>, 



• Or wbrn the deep-green rnanll- 
Warm cher.«b J e»'rj How TCI » H 
And j«j an - 



'»* jo«. 
I; .talk. 



: thai thy MW alonr 
Tboae axxtnu. graieful lo ibj tongue 
'IV adored Nam., 
I uogbt lb«* bow lo pour in oong. 



BURNS POEMS. 

WikUe'nd thee Pleasure's devious way, 



• I taught thy main, 

The loves, the ways of 

Till now o'er all my v 

Thy 

And some, the pride of 



Or pour, with Gray, tin 



: moving flow 
on the heart. 



The lowly daisy sweetly blows: 
Tho' large the forest's monarch throw: 

Yet green the juicy hawthorn grows, 
Adown the glade. 



rive my counsels all in one 
eful flame still careful fan 
i the dignity of Man, 

With soul erect ; 
St the Universal Plan 

Will all protect. 

wear thou this,'— she sol< 



Did rustling play 
a passing thought, sh " 
la light away. 



tied 



ADDRESS TO THE UNCO QUID, 
RIGIDLY RIGHTEOUS. 



Mys< 



,d h,m 






ecles. ch. vii. v, 



And still the clap pla; 

I] 

Hear me, ye venerable i 
As counsel for poor m 

That frequent pass douc. 
for glaikit Folly's po 

I, for their thoughtless, 
Would here propone < 



That pu 


rity ye p 








And (wha 


's aft ma 


ir th: 




thel 


Your be 


ter art o 


hiai 
IV. 


s- 




Think, wh 






led 












What rag 


" 


hisv 






That sti 




gallo 






\\i Hind 




liri' 






Right o 


- 


; ;,:: 


ea- 


way ; 



See social life and glee sit down, 
All joyous and unthinking. 



Damnati 
Ye high, e 



uofexpen: 
V. 

godly laci 



Ye're aiblins nae le 



He knows each chord— its ' 
Each spring— its various 

Then at the balance let's be 
We never can adjust it ; 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



i w: BAMS IN'B* BJ BOY. 






.-r 


lu'mou 


. 


'■ 


To death. 


■'.-• 


dearly p= 














. J. ag 


-n of ihe mj 




Ml. 


• 


, • 


l».J in ■ 
























l>o.lh\ ( 


rn lb* lod*« •* 














■ -.i. 






mafllm 




.. 














lb. Uxb. ll 














• "a 




Ikaj 




lb. coca i 




lb- 








II. am 









But now h. l«j» oo ii.»(b'i hoe-wwre, 

- XMBUUil, ' 

Aoa«i--. 

Sine* dark I:. - 

Urn liuMi dead ' 

- rrine pailricki a': 

Y. n7.uk 

You no. 



i hit worthy old »pon*ni*n went ru> 
!mi muirfowl kuod, be tuppoaed it wa* lob*, 
io Oeeian'a phrate, ' tbe but of b - 

. . . blmi wi.b to die and be b 
la the main. On ihu bint, ibe author 
powd hi. de*y and epitaph. 

reacher, a rreat fiToantc 
the millisn. Tide the Ordination, Sun] 
; Another preacher, an equal fatoariu 
th- f-». who w»« u Ileal I 
•ee 2. .'j the Ordination, Stanza IX. 



Tam Banana'* dud 1 



in )iuii;ul 



W »**. I. aim 1 



Ilk hoary hunter nv 
You auld gre, .iw.j 
Wbar* Uutm hae w 



DO.'* dead ! 



"" 'Yam ■WMWl'.dMd. 

When Auru«I wind* lb* heather wave, 

winder by yoauraw, 

I -n' lead, 
Till Echo aniwer I. .- hrr care. 

Tain Sainton'* dead ! 

Bam real hi« aaul, wharr'er he L • '. 



'I .'■>'.' sir 



'* dea 1 : 



THE EPITAPH. 

Pam Sainton '. weel-worn rlay her* lie* 
la, apara ■»! 

PER < 
Co, Fame, and canter like a filly. 



•a uae for Kilmarnock. 









w 






BURNS — poz: 



' To cease his'grievin', 
For yet unskakh'd by death's gleg gnllii 



HALLOWEEN. * 

[The following poem will, by many read 

of those'who^unacquainted with the m 

account of the principal charms and spell 
that night, so big with prophecy to the ] 
santry !n the West of Scotland. The , 
sion of prying into futurity makes a stril 
part of the history of human nature in 

may be some entertainment to a philoso) 
mind, if any such should honour the am 

among the more unenlightened in our oh 



Yes ! let the rich deride, the poor disdain, 
The simple pleasures of the lowly train ; 
To me more dear, congenial to my heart, 
One native charm, lhau all the gloss of art. 



I. 

Upon that night, when fa 


ries light, 


On Cassilis Downans t 




Or owre the lays, in splen 


id blaze, 


On sprightly coursers p 




Or for Colean the route is 




Beneath the moon's pal 


beams '. 


Amang the rocks and str 


e'ams 


To sport 


that night, 


II. 






banks 


Where Doon rini, win. 


''■''. clcar . 



heir baneful midnight e.rai..'., ; 
ose aerial people, the Fairies, 
t night to hold a grand anui- 

little. romantic, rocky, green 
isrhbourhood of the ancient seat 
Cassilis. 
:avern near Colean-house called 



The lasses feat, an' cleanly neat, 

IWair braw than when their line ; 
Their faces blithe, fu' sweetly kythe 



Whyles fast at night. 



hav'rel Will fell aff the drift, 
i' wander'd thro' the bow-kail, 
pou't, for want o' better shift, 

Sae bow't that night. 



Then, straught or crooked, yird 01 

The very wee things todlin', rin 
Wi* stocks out-owre their shout 

An* gif the custoc 's sweet or suur, 
Wi' joctelegs they taste them ; 



n. I!, 

He grippet Nelly hard an' fast; 

Bnt her tcp-pickle maist was lost, 
When kiuttlin' in the fanse-hous. 



- || The first ceremony of Halloween, is puli- 
ng each a stock, or plant of kail. They must 

lull the first they meet with: Its being b'ig or 
ittle, straight or crooked, is prophetic of the 
iize and shape of the grand object of all their 



■ any } 



r for- 



he door ; and the Christian names', of the peo- 
le whom chance brings into the house, are, 

m i They go to the b'arn-yard, and pull each, 



** When the corn is in a doubtful state, by 
heing too green, or wet, the stack-builder, by 



DIAMOND CABINET LIU1LUIY. 



Th. (aid (Tuidwif.'. wrrl-lioorjrl nit. 



Ku'b.;bil»! night. 
Mil. 
"vJ.'^wm. .h. *, 

-re h-r, »,..! •b.ownbu 
nd «f.« m.,r put; 
.T.rtrdupth. lum. 
An' Jran u.i i'« • I 

'lllMI Di(hl. 






- 

^ r. • MMM Of tW C«Uk.p Will be.' 

• Hbonv woo.:. 

I .-x.,. to ik* bd*. . 
lb. pot . cla* of Mm ] . 



Till .Olllrlllilll! I.. I.I wilblll III- p.l, 
' IUC .hr wu uu.k.ll' .' 

Bal whttlur 't«». ibr IM liiml. 
Dr whMha it wwl Andrew Ikl.'. 

To ipirr ibai night. 
\llt. 
WmJwUJ tuhwjrr.uni.Mjr.. 
I'll ml tb. >ppl. .1 lb. irlu., 

I | |« xi' ..c . lunt. 



0.*te.a%hl 



An ju'< oo' II 



- . II 

Th.t I.. MinAchmu.il.: 
I, r»l brap 

Anb. en.d. una. light o'l ; 



7.1. . end!., .nd go lk« to . looking- 

I .d.uiu comb jour li.ir .11 th. 

I . in Ibc glu., u if piping over 

4 Sie*l out unpCTcrived. .nd tow . hnndful 
of i.efnp-«rel ; b.rruwift; II with .nj thing juu 



[*!,,,"? " 



ia 



m of jour fu- Oh.r. omil lb. burr ... 

I «fte» st, tad turrvw the*. ' 



BURN§ POEMS. 



But tnonie a day was by himsel', 
He was sae sairly fnghted 

That vera night." 

XVII. 

Then up sat fechtin' Jamie Fleck, 
An' he"swoor by his conscience, 

That he could saw hemp-seed a peck ; 
For it was a' but nonsense ! 

The auld guid-man raught down the pock, 
An'ontahandfu'giedhim; 

Syne bad him slip frae 'mang the folk, 



Come after roe, and draw thee 



Till presently he hears a squeak, 
He by his shoulder gae a keek, ' 



To hear the sad narration : 
He swoor 'twas hilchin Jean M'C 

Or crouchie Merran Humphie, 
Till stop ! she trotted thro' iliein i 

An' wha was it but Grumphie 



XXI. 

We? fain wad to the barn hae gane, 
To win three wechts o' naethiug ;* 

But for to meet the deil her lane, 
She pat but little faith in : 



* This charm must likewise be performed 
possible; for there is^danger that the "being 

country dialect, we call a'wecht, 'and go 
through all the attitudes of letting down corn 
against the wind. Repeat it three times ; and 
the third time an apparition will pass through 
Ihe barn, in at the windy door, and out at the 
other, having toth the figure in question, and 
the appearance or retinue, marking the em- 



She gies the herd a pickle r 



ee Tarn Kipples 
That vera night. 



Fu' fast that night. 



XXIII. 

Thenhecht him some fine bra v. an-'; 
t chanced the stack he faddom'd thrice t 

Was timmer-prapt for thrawin' ; 
le taks a swirlie auld moss-oak, 



XXIV. 

But Och ! that night amang the sha 

Shegotafearfu'settlin'! 
She thro' the whins, an* by the cair 

Where three lairds' lands met at a't 
To dip her left sark. sleeve in, 

Was bent that nig] 

XXV. 

Whyles ower a linn the burnie plays 
As thro' the glen it wimpl't : 



rVhyles glitter'd to the nightly rays, 
Unseen that night. 



Gat up an' gae 



Take an opportunity of going, nnnoticed, 
a bear-stack, and fathom it three times 
nd. The last fathom of the last time, you 
1 catch in your arms the appearance of your 

! J You go 6 out, one or more, for this is a 
ial spell, to a south running spring or rivu- 

ir left shirt sleeve. Go to bed in 'sight of a 
fire, and hang your wet-sleeve before it to dry. 



Lie awake ; and some time near midnight, 
jarition having the exact figi . 
ect in question, will come and turn the sleet 
if to dry the other side of it. 



ad 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



J\.or Ui \r't heart main Up lb* h..ol ; 
Nnr Ix'iix-k-briphl eh* juniuil. 



\\\ II. 

In order, on the clean be irih 

lire** IIMI 



.j| the luoni-d..h thric. 

\WIII. 

MmuBjvm 

Their «poru »fre cheap m 1 ebee 
ir.eraut li 

i ..o.i rie-o' mat, 

■ 



Al LI) I.VIfMI li s 
mPtlAl HOBSII 
Al LD ' 



I 
'Hw'lhou'. howe-l. . 



The' ooo thou', dow e, .iff. «r..i er.rj. 
A** lb. auld L. 

,-uiiie, 

U« .hovld been lirbi that daur't'to rail* the. 



» Tai» threw diahn, pat tliu wtirr in on*, 

a Lew) bim lo lb* he»rth 
m are ranged : !. 

wife will come to lb* bar 

if m the empty di.b. it fucete.,, - 
r-nair.ij, oo marriage at uU Ilia repealed 
., and <nj time the arrangement 
of tbe di.be* u altered. 

♦ sown*, with butter inatead of milk ia 
them, U alwaji the Haliowctu Supaec. 



An' could bae flown out-owr* a tlui.a. 
Like ome b.rd. 

It', now aonie ninr-an'-lwent. ,enr 
Bio' IbM »"• my Run! tUB 
Ucgicdmr:! 

| mark ; 
Tho' it Mi inn', 'twaa wcel-woii far. 

I rard to woo mj Jenny, 

. ...' lumur. 

But bamrlj, lawie, iiu.et, an' canine, 



\\>. g 



ill'ol Ml' Ml". '. 

.iia.r! 
Kile Stewart I could bragged wid* 

Tho' now •• dow but hoyle an' bobble, 
An'wInlUlQ 

•1 bat da, jewa..,,..ke, noble, 

Kurheel.un 'Hi..'! 

An' ran tbem till tl.r, »• .. 

I .,, I.r L.li.i.'. 

\\ hart ihoa an' I were mil em! akalgb, 

\ ■ ■ • 

I atheroma I * '" g ' 
Town'e bodie* ran, an' .1....1 abrigh, 
Au'ca'l lb*, mad. 

Wbni iliou waa com'i, an' I waa mellow, 

At bro..*** thuu b*.l i.'Vr a fellow, 

.peed ; 

The imt', droop-rumpl'i, bunler callle. 
Might albllaa -.art thee fur a brattle 1 

Ail' Ifar'l lliein wliftiZle : 
Nae whip nor apur, but iu.1 a wallle 

Tliou waa a noble fitlie Ian', 

Aft thee an' I, >o aufht bows' g'aiiB. 

I March weather, 
Hi' turned aax rood b*»ide our ban', 
.egithar. 

Tboa nerer brmindg'i, an' feteh'i. 
!lut mj auld tail thuu wad ha* wbi.kil. 
Ao' apr*ad abreed lb; weel-nlled 



10 keep, 
I jried the cog a wee b 1 heap 

AUn the iimij.tr : 
I kea'd mj Maggie wadna tleep 

For thii, or aim trie 



BURNS POE.US. 



My pie 


: h . 


snow 


hyb 


irn-time a' 




Four gal, 






did draw ; 




Fcrbyesa 




e, I'v 


self 










Th 


t 11,0 


a hast nnrs 




They drew me 


thr.lt 




ndan'twa 








Th 


vera 


warst. 




Monie s 


sai 


daurk 


wet 


iva hee wro 


ght, 






= urv v 


arl'f 


right! 




Au' moai 


an 




'wad 


be beaM 




Yet here 




zy '-- 




e brought, 








Wi 


som 


thing; yet. 




And thi 


nkn 


a, my 


i0 ld, 


trusty serva 




That now 












*"' ** a 


Idd 


ays™ 


Y£ 


ist feu, 






ut. r 












Lai 


iL r r 


or you. 





TO A MOUSE, 



Wi' 






jstiiiesthat ill opinion 

Which makes thee 



whyles, but thou may th 



I doubt m 
What then i 



An' bleak December's win. 
Baithsn, 

Thor saw the fields laid 



An' cozie here beneath the blast. 

Thou thoucht 10 dwell, 
Till crash ! the cruel coulter past 

Out thro' thy cell. 



To thole the winter's sleety dribble, 
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane, 



Still thon art blest, compared wi' m 
rhe present only touchethlhee : 
Jut Och 1 I backward cast my e'e 



A WINTER NIGHT. 



Your loop'd and window' d raggedness, deft 
From seasons such as these ?—Shakspean. 



Whe 


n biting Boreas, fell and doure, 


Hhar 




Hh. 


n Phcebus gi'es a short-lived glo 




Far south the lift, 


Dim 


darkening through the flaky sho 







~\\ ild-eddying swirl, 



Or silly sheep, wha bide this brattle 

And through the drift, deep-lairing spraille 



ping bird, w 

Wh 

lit thou cow 

Au' 


ee, helpless t 
nth o' spring, 

atromefo' th 


ou on murd 


"homes^le 



DIAMOND CAIUNET LlIIIl.VK Y. 



Now Ph.b€, in hrr midnight re.pn, 
IWk mutflrd. .i.wrd Ibt dwn plain ; 
Mill crowding thought!, a prnn.r Irani, 

Wku oo mj rax tbi. plamu.r drain. 
Mu», Hw 

• Blow, blow ;r windt, with lira.itr gu.t 

Not all tour ng«, u now, unilad, iho«» 
Mora hard i . 

i 
Than hra.ru-. liuuiii.'d man uu Irutbcr m 



1 l'1-ll I . 






. 



II. 
Il'a hardlr la 



Paahapa. Ik. 



raja ihr.caa a! tut rock- 






- . , mok lo brd. of down, 

r N.lurr'. 

aw Hi! biioa 



Tk* arnca aJraadj a 
Axflietioo'a aoaa ar- brothm is diatraa. 



I rwd air na.tr, for Chaotic 



Ore frac »• 
Intruded fraud ot [aBi, 

. ha ba', 
lUaataaowMeaaawloawiiWl 

And in.t.d .1.1. jou'll und .till. 



■ *D».id8nui,« 

■ .:. . . Ht 



BURNS— POEWS. 



Is not more fondly deai 

When heart-corroding C£ 

Deprive my soul of res 



Thou Being, All-seeing, 

O hear my fervent prayer ; 
Still take her, and make her 



X. 

All hail, ye tender feelings dear ! 
The smile of love, the friendly tear. 

The sympathetic glow ; 
Long since, this world's thorny wi\i 

HadTtYot been k/jmT ^ 

In every care and ill "' 
id oft a more endearing band, 
A tie more tender still. 
It lightens, it brightens 
The tenebrific scene, 



■■■ 

aiy worm their whi 
.w oft in haughty n 



Then let us cheerfu' acquis 

Nor make our scanty pleas 

By pining at our state ; 



ambus and the famous Xine 
ere glow'rin owre my pen. 

My spaviet Pegasus will limp, 
Till ance he's fairly het ; 

And then he'll hitch, and stilt, and jii 

But lest then, the beast then, 
His°sweaty'wizen'dhide. 



They gie the wit of age t< 
Theyletuskenoursel'; 

TV.™ w. n lr„ no coo *V,o Y^l 



THE LAMENT, 



There's wit the°re, ye'll get ther 
Ye '11 find nae other where. 

VIII. 



O thou pale orb, that si 



With woe I nightly vigils keep, 
"^neath thy wan unwarming be; 



DIAMOND CABINET MnilARY. 



I joyl«a* «ln Ihj tremblinjj liorn 
Reflected in the eur R I.t.j; rill : 

My fuodly-flutt.-r.ru,- hr.n be Itill ! 
Thou bu.y power, R-tnernlraocr, c« 



I -n'd poetic paint, 

r.lurn lamenting, cllil 

rd'l pipe— Arcadian •trail 

. aa.nl and III 

•II- pl,ghted U.ih ; the mutual tlami 

The oft- . 
The prum .«! Father*, lender name 

Th*M were Ibe plr 












Ye wingwd bean thai o'er ut put, 

I of bop* doXroisi!, 

And not a wua to gild the (loom ! 



Then 



Ml. 
• arna 'be approaching day, 

in long are... 



Mil. 
Awl wbra my n.gbtly coueh I try, 
Sote haraaa'd out with can and grief, 
raaa, and tear worn rye, 
ifca nightly lb tU 
Or if I .lumber, fax.'.. 

.--. wild, in tore affright ; 

From aacb a horror-brealb.ng night. 

I\. 
O ! thoo. bright .jaeen. who o'er lb' expaai 
Now highest reiga'at, wiih bonixllcw awa 
Oft haa Iby .Uent-marking giant* 
_ 

•eeCed. .ped away. 
While lote'a luxurioua pu!,e beat bigb, 



Beneath thy silicr-gleamlnc ray, 
To mark, the mutual 1 



mi eterj joy and pleasure 
.ife'. weary .ale I'll wan 



l)i:Sl'l)M)l \<_'i : 



mi'd with - 
. that. I can bear, 
.« and ..Kb : 



rVbat aorrowt >• 

i .y fear! 
M.I I caring, drtpairing. 



Who, equal to the bu.tlifia; .trif., 

R .'■/lord ! 
K»'n wl-n Ibe vi.be,) end', deny'd, 
iet .h.lelhebu., me..,. »r. ply 'd, 

r.arJ: 
;--aLa..dou'd wight, 

: returning nitrhi. 



il w bUal theaolitary'. lot, 

-• ■■■ f, all-forgot, 
.u.Me cell. 

Bc.de hi. cry. lal Weil! 
Or haply, to hi. r.'uing thought. 
II,. unfrequented .tream, 
be amy* of mrn are dietant brought. 




BURNS POEMS. 



it all ! those pleasures, loves, and joys, 
Which I too keenly taste, 



When danc 

To care, t 

How ill exc 



e, early days, 
,g thoughtless 



Ye tiny elves that guiltless sport, 
Ye little know the ills ye court, 



My griefs it seems to ii 

The leafless trees my fan. 

Their fate resembles m 



Thou Power Supreme, whose mighty schen: 

^These woes of mine fulfil, 

" 3, firm, I rest, they must be best, 



Because they are thy w 



COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT. 

!t not ambition mock their useful toil, 



My loved, my honour 'd, much respected 

No mercenary bard his homage pays; 
With honest pride I scorn each selfish end : 
My dearest meed, a friend's esteem and 

To you 1 sing, in simple Scottish lays, 
The lowly train in life's sequester 'd 

The native feelings strong, the guileless 

What Aitken in a cottage wonld have 

th! tho' his worth unknown, far happier 

II. 

November chill blaws loud wi' angry sough ; 
The short'ning winter day "is near a 

iting frae the pleugh ; 
abour goes, 



The blac 

The'tort-wo' 

This night his weekly moil i 



s spat. 



mattocks, and h 



Hop 



The lisping infant prattling on his 
Lnd makes him quite forget his labot 



A cannie errand to a neebor to' 
In youthfu' bloom, love spar! 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



ComM hatne, prrhapa, to «li 

Or ilrpo.il hrr 
> btlp her parent 

W unfrign'd brolhrn and 

An' each fur otbrr'. Keclfaro kiudll 

The »oc>al boon, awifi-wing'd. um. ,lic J 

fleel ; 

Eacb total Iht anew thai be are. or hear* ; 
The pa-enit, pudiU, cje ibnr hopeful 

ji.on forward poinl» ihiwn; 
The mother, mi' her i,c~ilc •>.' 

The IllLu ranee »' wi" admoo.i. 

IX 



And tx'cr, ibo' out o" rifkl, lo j.A or 
pUj; 
• An' O : be .ur. 10 f.ar lb« Lord elwai ! 

..Ltibe Lurd 
MI. 



i.'. C .. . 



Wi' k.adlj welcome Jennr brinr. him ben ; 
A .'reppm joulb; be iiii me molbcr'i 



tad Unhfu'. 
tehaee; 



ikhcrbairn'arcapcxted l-ke 



kl rapture* ! bi j. bejootl « 



a draught of lie.vrulj plea.ur. 
>1 in Ihll melancholy vale, 



Ii ihrrr, in buumu form, that heart a 
b-.rl_ 
A orrich'. a tillain I k»l to lore and 

Tbal au.wlth .ludird, air, I inuring nrl. 

I «:l. : diaambjing 

Are hooooV, rblM, c..n.eienr. all elilej • 

1 

Point. Ii, ihr parcutt fondling o rr llii-ir 



Rut now Ibe topper crown, ibe 
n u-h, chief o 



airopl. 



'IV dam* brinp foiib in complirncntal 
To rr.ee ID* lad, ber wecl-ha 



Ml 
The cheerio' tapper oor.e. «i' vriou» fare, 
r ,uud ibe injle, form a circle 

' parriarcbel rrace, 
| kV-BekU, ancr bja father • 

aU e.ide, 
II.. I.eri LatM. ■earing ll.i i | 
1hu»» iiraiu. that uuet u«l »» 

llr M aln a port on «ilb iodic ou. care ; 
And 'Let u. »unbip Ovd I ' ho »t>, with 

Mil. 
Tbej chant the* anleu note* in timp'e 

...*. ibeir hearU, by far ibe noble. I 

Prrbapa Uundec'a wild warbling meal area 

Or plaintive Manjn, worth/ of ibe 

Ugin beeu the heat'a-ward 



BURNS 


POEMS. 


The tickled ears no heart-felt raptures 


Would in the way his wisdo 

For them and for their lit 

But chiefly in their hearts n 


XIV. 

The prlest-Iike father reads the sacred page, 
How Abrain was the friend of God ou 


XIX. 

From scenes like these old S 


high; 

Or, Moses bade eternal warfare wage 


That ' makes her loved at 



Or, Job's pathetic plain 

Or rapt Isaiah's wild, 

Or other holy seers that tu 


and wailing c 
-the^iy 


XV. 

Perhaps the Christian v 
How guiltless blood 


lume is the the 
or guilty man 


HowHe,' who bore in 


heaven the se 


Had not on earth whe 

How his first followers a 

The precepts sage th 


eon to lay his h 
y wrote to ma 


How he, who lone in Pa 
And heard great Bab 'Ion 


tmos banished, 
ty angel stand 
s doom pronuu 


XVI. 

Then kneeling down t 
King, 
The saint, the fathe 


» Heaven's et 


prays: 





May hear, well-pleased, the language of 
id in his book of life the inmates poor enrol. 



The youngling cottager; 
quest, 



That He who stills the 
And decks the lily fair i 






And, O: may Heaven theii 



I WAS MADE TO MOURN. 



His face was furrow' 



Young stranger, whitber wam'.'rest 
Began the rev 'rend sage; 

Does thirst of wealth tin st-p cons-tr 
Or youthful pleasure's rage ! 

Or, haply, pre>t with care, and to 



DIAMOND CAD1NET LIBRARY. 



V . .red. labour 1 

A haught, lordl..i K '. u 

■•' ttaZ "!u 



O mm I while in thj earlj jeor., 

H..w proJ 
.Mi.iM-nJ.nir all lb« V 

,1 primo! 



Look not alone on joutbijl prime, 
....j 1 . «ct,.r ■••.<>•■ ; 
. u^lul lohi. kind. 
. i..> r.«ht i 






More po>nl' I 

. r.mor — 



oVrlnboor»d wight, 



l\. 
If 1 m deaipned yoo lordling'. .la- 
•-■. !.w de»ur«'d. 

E'er planted in mi m.nd ? 
. ml u>bj«ct u 



II . 






., iprojBMi bone»t m«n, 

Hidtmr, ran, been bom. 
I „ comfort ibo* that niuurui 



1 br pwl, lb- ■ 
Prom pomp and plc.uru turn; 

„l Ml,! a bio) ■ 
lhal wearj-ladt... mourn '. 



A I'll AM H 

IX tub FHiinriwr or UATBi 

I 
Q ibou unknown Almighty Cau.« 

I„ *bo« d.raJ prr.ei.cr. «• »'• "our, 

. 

II. 
If I h... wudar'd in ii 

ofi.fr [oagbiio»hmi 

...i l*ea.t, 

ruo.lbtir.doMi 



• I i »ud goodnr. 



OX lUtUIN 

Wbj am I loath to lea.a thio tarthlr 

1 M foubd il full of plea... ■ 

Some drop", of joy with draoghla of ill b»- 

Som* gleam, of .un.bine 'mie. renewed 

ag pane, mj tool alarm. ; 
Or death', unlorelr, drearj, dark abode f 
For cull, for fu.lt. m. terror, are > U arm. | 
1 tremble to approach an angry l"»d» 
And juetlj atnart leroemlh b.a .in. a'toging rod. 



BURNS 

1 I say, ' Forgive my foul of- 



THE FIRST PSALM. 



Who walks no! in the wicked's way 

Nor learns their guilty lore ! 



;o oft have mourned, yet to ternpta- 



:fore his God. 



11 unfit I feel 
rule their lor 



Thou dread Pow'r who reign'st abovi 

I know thou wilt me hear. 
When from this scene of peace and love 

II. 

The hoary sire— the mortal stroke 



it he whose blossom 



Before the sweeping blasl 



O Thou Great Being ! v 
E all thy works belo 



s ills that wring my soul 



;e them fast in death 

must afflicted be, 
some wise design ; 



Their! 


Shoodf 


awnin-b 


darli 


g youth 


Bless 1 


im, thou God of 




Upt 


o a parent 


s wish • 
V. 






The he 


mteous, seraph siste 


-band 




Thouk 


uow'sTtb 




'ev'ry 




Guid 


e thon the 


ur steps al 
VI. 


vay • 




When 


soon or lat 


e they reach that 






life', run 








Way th 






er lo'= 




A family iu H 


av'n' 







THE NINETIETH PSALM. 

O Thou, the first, the greatest Friend 

ise strong right hand has ever beeu 
ieir stay amfnwelling place ! 

re the mountains heaved their heads 



■'.•■%%, iinb»);inn'n? lim% 

■ f jrar«, 

lb] tight, 

IIiad jclrrdav tbal'g pa»t. 

• ihr word : Thj crratu 
\ ...n. of m> 



) CA III NET MBHARY. 

ch in ilir file of •irnplc Bnnl. 
n -.li oenn luoklaaaala 
Unskilful br ioi 

Till bUaOM rag, 



" ' '"brim fTm o"'r ! 



Such fair 
Who km . 



Tb<-u aaJWt ihrm, i 



' .'..wo, it lira 



i ihofl who mourn '.( ih. Dtiij't fair, 

IIuh.'i plough-rhtrr drivn, tilt*, 

u.li'J Lcnralh lli' lutr. x 

Shall be lbj doom ! 



i n i vis DAISY, 



I ht tnlnialm of fntl »nd ptiu, 
A .ullcn atleeBM, til! 

her u..r bat col a*j drum tit, 

.... kmi, 

I o. d pourlnf, 
. olrdbrad. 






' '.n- oorth, 

\ct ch*»rfuilj ih-. (I.alrd forth 

Amd r>. 
Scire rrarnl «bo». lb* ptrrnl rtrlb 



' 



1<-»ijvi lifr • JO)lr»t dtl ; 

ia Ihr cltt ; 



Tbrrr, ia thy araatj aaantlr clad, 
• im tua-ward .prrad, 
Tboa li/u lb; guHtaiDi brut 



• - ffr of artlrtt >la:d. 
r-t of the rural tbada ! 
- '•> d. 

Till aba, like iber . » 



YKA»'.OIrT, JA-. 

Ar»in ih. iil.nl -V...1. of liuw, 

■ 



Our sex with guile and faith 
Is charged, perhaps, too t 

But may, dear maid, each 1< 
Ail Edwin still to you ! 



EPISTLE TO A YOUNG FRIEND. 
MAY , 1 786 

I lang hae thought, my youthfu ' friend, 

Tho' it should serve nae other end 

Than just a kind memento; 
But how the subject theme may gang, 

Let time and chance determine J 
Perhaps it may turn out a sang, 



Ye'U try the warld soon, my lad, 
And, Andrew dear, believe me, 

Ye'U find mankind an unco squad, 
And muckle they may grieve ye ; 

For care and trouble set jour thoug 



I'll no say, men are villaii 

The real, harden'd wick 

"VVha hae nae check but hu 



A man may tak a neebor's 



Wi' sharpen 'd sly inspection. 

VI. 

The sacred lowe o' weel-placed lo 

Luxuriantly indulge it ; 
But never tempt lb." illicit rove, 

Tho'naething should nivulirc ii 

The hazard of concealing ; 



POEMS. 

And gather gear by ev'ry wile, 

That's justified by honour; 
Notfortohideitinahedge, 

Bui for "^glorious privUege 
Of being independent. 

VIII. 

The fear o' hell's a hangman's whip, 
Tohaud the wretch in order; 

Let that aye be jour border ; 

Debar a' side pretences i 



The great Creator to r« 

Must sure become th 

But still the preaching 






In ploughman phrase, * God send you 

Still .ally to grow wiser; 
And may you better reck the rede, 

Than ever did th' adviser ! 



ON A SCOTCH BARD 



Wi'tearfu'e'e; 
For weel I wat they'll sairly miss him 
That's owre the sea. 



Ml 

Ilad.ltliou u'enaffaomr i 

Wua can do nought but f)ke a.i-lu. 

•Tv..J been natpl 
llut be wu gleg u oni -umblr. 

That 'a owre the M 

Auld. canlie Hjle rnaj weeperi - 

I Ml || mak' her pour auld heart, I 
In 81 

Thal'io-re'thr'. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIUKAKY. 

'" mimtlr! 









Hi wadoa • 






Tb* groaning trencher there je £11, 
UalfailL 

-- Ul„ to mead a m.ll 

UiiMo'ani, 

-r aorta the Ur-a diaul 
Lie amber brad. 

- rov.ie labour d.gbt, 
■■an' readj .light, 
■ guahing en trail, bright. 



Then liorn for horn ther itretch an' II 
Dell l*Ji ihr hmlino.t. on the, dri.r. 
Till a' (heir -eci-i-all'd k.te. beljva 
Arc bn.i flkl drum. : 
Tbrn auld guidman, maiil like lo rjie, 
liethaukit bumi ; 

Ii there that o'er hii French ragout , 



I liia tra.h. 



ru.lic, hairria-feJ. 
la n,e», a blade, 

He'll Ufa II -III..,.-; 



An 1 leg... 



And dlab ih.m oul Ihr.r hill <.' fare, 
Auld .v-oiland waul, nae .kinking v. are 

Tbalj.u, 
Hut, Ifjfl -i.hber rr.lrlu' pr.) ',, 
llaggi. ! 

I in Ml 

TO i.AVIN IIA.M, 

- r. in Ibia narration, 

• I.UII, 



up afar, 



-and'. .ear 
afuleome, .infu' lie, 

J be burl. 



hia raaj do— maun do, Sir, wl' them 
in pleaae the great folk for a aramaiu' 
toe • ... laigh I neeuria bow. 
, Lord be Ibankn, I ran plough ; 

,k. anaie. 
en. Lord be it 
I I .ball.aj.i 
It', ju.t tic poet an' ■ 

The Poet, wne guid angel help hii 
i aaau hi an. .k.lp i,.:.. 

He ma. do weel for a" be*, don* jet, 
but onlj be'e no juat begun jet. 

The Patron, CSir. je man forgie m 
I wiona lie, coma what -ill o' u>e; 
On et'rj band it -.11 allowed be, 

- ■ better than be abould I 



BURNS POEMS. 



What's no his ain he winni t..k it 
What anee he says lie winna breal 
Ought he cau lend he'll no refuse' 
Till aft his goodness is abused; 
And rascals wbyles that do him wi 
Ev'n that, he does na mind it lanj 
As master, landlord, husband, fall 



Morality, thou deadly b; 
Thy tens o' thousands thoi 
Vain is his hope, whose st 



Abuse a brother to hi 
Steal thro a winnock 
But point the rake tl 
Be to the poor like o 
And haud their .lose- 
Fly every art o' legal 
No matter, st.ck to s 

Learn three mile 

graces, 

Wi weel-spread loo 

Grunt up a solemn, 1 

A steady, sturdy, su 

O ye wha leave th< 
Forgumliedubsofv 
Ye sous of heresy an 
Ye '11 



e'll some day squeel in quaking terror ! 
Vhen Vengeance draws the sword in wratl 

When Ruin withbis sweeping besom, 



My readers still are sure to lose me. 

So, Sir, ye see 'twas nae daft vapc 
But I maturely thought il proper, 

To dedicate them, Sir, to you: ' 

Because (ye need na tak it ill) 

I thought them something like yours. 

Then patronise them wi* your favo 



May K — 
T."~li"_ 



To serve their king : 
By word, or pen, or 
May health and pea. 



re, 


But if (which Pow'rs above prevent ! 




That iron-hearted car!, Want, 








By sad mistakes, and black mischances, 




While hopes, and joys, and pleasures iij 




M ..ke , on as poor a dog as I am, 




Your humble servant then no more ; 










rig, wry face ; 


While recollection's power is given, 




!...,,.■■._.-.. 




The victim sad of fortune's strife, 








Should recognize my master dear, 




If friendless low we meet together, 



Your impudence protects you sairly : 
I canna say but ye strunt rarely, 

Owre gauze and lace: 

Tho' faith, I fear ye dine but sparely 



Swith, in some beggar's haffet i 
Wi' ither kindred, jump.n' catt 



Now haud jou ihm, jc'rc Ml 

rili, .ouk.ii' ucan 

N«, fiiih «l | 

lai,«'-- 

The »crj lapmoai low'i 

O- Slu. . 

M> toolh ! ri«hi bauki )<■ .<■[ . 
A. plump and ptj u 

ofidam, 

I'd gi'« Jo-. 

H 

IxJot b**n iuriir.x-J to »pj 
Or libUa* i 



O J«nnj , dmn* lou jour b»ad, 

I 

Taw winka and L..;- 1 
Ai« u 



i I AltlM'.T 1.IHIIAKY. 

-'a.r Burnal ilrikri th' ... 

And o*u In. work n.J 






i 



' 



»>•» Mil. .' 

A. a. lb. 

And • •»»">*. *"•>«■ it« u^ir 



, 






■ .»< u'rr ibr IS 

Illll.tUod »..«lllllK WW, 
rrpcll'd lb' III. 



.'It twt-alnwi lboughi anil piijing Icui-, 

•r )«!•, 
I ■ ■■. , , ,.l ||..Hir. 

■•I how cbangad Ilia llinr. 10 ooui. .' 



Wild l„*l. m, hrarl lo MM jour MM 
,. ..I jor-, 
rukj and ruintd gap* 
.'. bluudj lion bur* I 

■ 



. .!.rlio(M*t! 
A, I bail lb. pa 
A 



I I'll I I.I. in J. I .\, 
AH OU n-orTiall MAJili, AFKH i 

• ,rr««u. 

Thi» freedom in an unknown frien - , 
I pra, UCIU4. 

| On faat«o-e*n w. bad a rockin', 

j Ai.d Ikm waa m'ucki* fun and jokin', 



Thj dauf birr, krickt ibj ailii u 



There waa a* aanj amang lb* r*«t, 
Aboun ibrm a' il oleaawd oa* beat, 
Ibatao 



Il ikirl'd th* b«ari-*irl 






Thought I, ' Can this'be Pope, or S 



—POEMS. 

That wad be lear eneugh for me ! 
If I could get it. 

Now, Sir, if ye hae friends enow, 
Tho' real friends, I b'lieve, are few, 
Yet, if jour catalogue be fou, 

.tgifjewantaeftiend^hat^rue, 



That nane excell'd it, few 



As far abuse me. 
;e faut they whyles lay to 



Tho' I should pawn my pleugh an' graith, 

At some dyke back, 
A pint an' gill I'd gie them baith 

To hear your crack. 

But, first an' foremost, I should tell, 
Amaist as soon as I could spell, 
I to the crambo-jingle fell, 

'lho' rude an' rough, 



Wi'aneanither. 

The four-gill chap, we'se gar him clatter, 
Syne we'll sit down an' tak our w'hitter, 



Awa, ye selfish warly r; 



z folk may cock their nost 



To catch the plack • 
la like to see your face, 

Kor hear your crack. 



Ye 're maybe w 
i' your jargon o' your 



Cc":il 


lse their brains in collese classe 


Tne : , 






Plain truth to spea 


An' 






By dint o' Greek! 


Gi 


me ae spark o' Nature's fire ! 


Ti.ai 




Then 


, tho' I drudge Thro' dub an' n 




At pleugh or cart, 


Myn 






May touch the hea 



My friends, my brother: 

But, to conclude my Iang epistle, 
As my auld pen's worn to the grissle: 
^ " lines frae you wad gar me fissle, 

Who am most fervent, 
While I can either sing, or whissle, 



TO THE SAME. 
aprix, 21, 1785. 



O for a spunk o' Allan's glee : 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



I'. Jrmiin( ibro" > 






Th» laprtli 

I 
Tbat trouib mj bn 



but rb.. 

lnlr„„. 
An' lb, . 



.>«•* bM I - 



.*.«• I ml* .Ir.ddl- 
»...•,. ib.L-d.il 



U k. ibink. bim.rf niw .hrrp-.b»nk t 

li'H landl) -i.lkv 
WhiU c«p. an' bonnrl. .11 .r. ■■«■, 

A. bj b. w.lk. : 

• (> lli.iu »h. (fa. M rarh ruiJ fill 

pint* (drift 

- ..ll.ml -Mr 

In .' il.r.r prfatot' 
\\ tf lbl« ll.r rli.rtrr of Ml .lair. 



Hal, lb.nk.lu II 

W.U..UOU, c 

- ..I m.nd.l. r. 
I MM MM top 

' I . br fulbU jrr.l Nilin'i pli 

O m.nd.l. rWlou. and dl.in. 
' ih. rac«rd N.n 

lit ! >rl in., .1 



Wlnl.Kird.il! 



"J •*'•["• 

• Mai 

■.fr.jhtl 
\r% in pan* u i ' 

M., .1. 

■ 



I r.l jour lrllrr, nilMOflia ' 
lb.' 1 aiwia .«, I I «.d L. 



Tho ' in tic phn 



Hi" All. nor ■ ' 



BURNS POEMS. 



The tithe o' what ye waste at cartes, 

Wad stow dhispantr 

Tet when a tale comes i' my head, 
Or lasses gie my heart a screed, 
As whjles the) 're Ike lo be my dead, 

(O sad disease!) 
I kittle up ray rustic reed; 



Auld Cbila no« 
Chiefs S W "ha n th P eir e ' 



Gied Forth an' Tay 



.y fidge fu' fair 



While 






'IV Ulissus, Tiber, Thames, an 
Glide sweet iu monie a tunefu' lin 
But, Willie, set your fit to mine, 

We'll gl 






We'll sing auld C 



ie southern bi: 
what Scottisl 



Oft have our fearles; 



By Wallac 

award, red w 

Or gloriou; 



S ^'AheLrfeirsang:" 
Tlie warly race may drudge and drive, 
ef me fair Nature's face descrive, 



my rhyme-composing bv 



POSTSCRIPT. 

My memory's no worth a preen 



Vt g 










The 


1 »ook nae P 


21 Or 'rule 


5 S .o e "e ht 


balance, 


But 

I 


spak their t 
thae auld 


ifke'jc 

tmes, th 


n plain' b 


raid lallans 


Jus 


like a sark 








Wo 


e by degree 


"Gaed'p 


aluheT 


iewing, 


An' 


shortly afte 




done, 





An' jink 
While t 






DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



bbc grew tnair bright. 



tYI' hi 



i, h.'l 



Au' toine to learo il 



Wan baug'd an' biuul. 

Ttaia game wat play'd in uionie land.. 
An' auld-lighl caddie, bure tie hand.. 
'lUat hlifc. iLc juung.ter. took the .audi 

\\,' nlnbli ahank*. 
I'll lairda forbade, b. .tnci couiineiidj, 

Sic bluidy pranks 

Hut nrw-tight herdt gat tic a cowe, 

a.pUc'd| 

Au' KI .r, their Dtna-Ufhl fail l>i», 
Juit foil! barefac'd. 



'a il.gbt. 
Au' .lay a month aaian| | 

■an right. 

rail un ihey «ill gi'e them i 

lue biudmott .baud, they'll letch it wi'l 



EPISTLE TO J. RANKINE. 

BGuma sous poems. 

O Rough, rnde, ready-witted Rankine, 



. in mercy tpare it ; 

Tliul hoi) r..li.-. ti .inn,.. i..,r ic : 

hi Muck : 



Think, wicked .inner, wha ye're tkailhing 
It'« ju.t the blue-gumi budge nil' cluilhiiig 

O' taunt* j uk tbali ... lea ■ than luuihiug 

l'rac out Uurrgeilerule li. nl..n 
. url. 


rlijmlng ware, 
A' that 1 Lurgaiil'd for an' niuir ; 
Sae. when ye hae an hour lo .pare, 

I Bill expect 

Von taog,| ye'll ten't »i' cannie car*. 

And 


Tho' faith, imt' heart hae I to alng ! 

I'fa plaj'd Ul).el a bonnie tpriug. 

I'd belter gaeu and tair'd the king 
At Bunker t Hill. 


'Twai ae night lately in mj fun 

An' brought a pailriek lo die grun, 

A bonnie hen. 
An', at the IwOkhl » 

lie wad ken. 


The poor wee thing wat lillle burl ; 

Ne'er tbiukin' they wad faab me for't j 

Hut, deil uia care! 
Somebody !•-. 


Some aold ua'd handt had la'en a note. 
That tic a hen had got a thot ; 
I »u impacted lur ih- plot ; 



Buf, by my gun, o' guut the wait. 

The game thall pay o'er moor an' dale, 
tm thit, niett year. 



A tocg be had jromU- . 



BURNS.— POEMS. 



Tho' t should herd the buckskir 
For't .11 Viigi 

Trowlh, they had meikle for 
An' baith a yellow George to c! 



It pi 






They filled up a darksome pit 
With water to the brim ; 

They heaved in Juhu Barleycorn, 
There let him sink or swim. 

X. 

They laid him out upon the floor. 
To work him farther woe, 

Aud still as signs of life appear 'd, 
They toss'd him to and fro. 



JOHN BARLEYCORN, + 

A BALLAD. 

I. 

There were three kings into the eas 
Three kings both great and high, 

An' they hae sworn a solemn oath 
John Barleycorn should die. 



But the cheerfu' spring came kindly 01 
And show'rs began to fall ; 



IV. 

The sultry suns of summer came, 

His head weel arm'd wi' pointed 
The sober autumn enter'd mild, 






oopmg n 



His colonr sicken'd more and t 
To show their deadly rage. 



A FRAGMENT. 
Tune.— " Gillicrankie. " 

I. 

When Guildford good our pilot stood, 

i they gat th 
a the sea did 

Than quite refuse our law, roan. 

II. 

Then thro' the lakes Montgomery takes, 



But yet, what-reck, he, at Quebec, 
"intgomery-like did fa', man ; 
sword in hand, before his band, 



* This is partly composed on the plan of a 



>r Tommy Gage, within 



DIAMOND CABINET L1BHAUY. 



' iwurd Ml' pin he thought a tin 
u.ii Cbri.uaii U..od lu uru», i.i hi ; 
il New-York, wi" knife aad fork, 
ir-luiu be backed una', nuk 



BarroToa gaed up. like »pur an' whip, 

. way. »e misty day, 
Cornwall., (ought m I ..._'- L. dooght, 



He hung il 






rflolhraw, nun i 

"" hj 'I" DOS, 

.iik.crj.v,, man. 

\l. 



I I: .-ham look up Ihe game; 

Tlllde.lb U .1 mm I...,. 

MJ BMk held up I. . cbeeV 

- 

Ibraw, itieu, 



1 : 



U I 1 



lie .wept lb* .lake, ana', man. 
Till ibr il.tnoi.il'. ace ul Indian race, 

L-J b.'i. .. - 



He-uorth lfc« K .man >■', man : 
An' Chatham', wra.th, in heavenly griith, 
kardiae ■■«, man; 

' ica/'d ibcma', inao :" 

IX. 
Bui word an' blow, Norlk, Fox, and Co. 

4 . nan, 

I lke.rc.a.,e 
.. in a raw. man ; 
A.. ' Caledon Ibrew be the drone, 






rt and blood 



, unclouded light, 
. i. ntleaa ha d. 



Antqng (be rig, o' barley. 
III. 

I loek'd bar in mj fund embrace! 

Her bearl waa beating rarely ; 
klj bleuinn on lhal bapp 

. u' barley ! 

Bui by ii.e iiiimiii and iian ••■ brlg-hl, 

i, ...i ham ,0 olaarlj : 

She aye .ball bleu dial happy Illglil. 

Aniaog ihe rig. o lar..-y. 

IV. 

Ihe ».' irndeedeor ; 

I . lu' galh mi geari 

happy Ihlnkio'i 
....... e'er Law. 

Thai happy nlgbl «u, worth thin u', 

Aui»„g the riga u' barlej. 

CHORUS- 
I an' barley riga, 



COMFOSEO IK AUQUST. 

Tunc — " I bad a llurte, i bad uae rnair. 

L 
N'ow weallin' windt and ilaughl'ring gun 

Bring auiumn'a plea.au! waathal , 
ll.e moorcock upr.ng., on whirring win-. 



To uiu^e upon my charmer. 

IL 

The partridge lorei the fruitful fella : 



BURNS POEMS. 



Thus ev'ry kind their pleasure find, 

The savage and the tender ; 
Some social join, and leagues combine ; 

AvaZ?a°way7 fcerue? sway. 

Tyrannic man's dominion : 
The sportsman's joy, the niurd'ring cry. 

The flutt'ring, gory pinion '. 

IV. 

But Peggy dear, tha-ev'ning's clear, 
Thick flies the skimming swallow ; 



The 


-■:■ - 


lue, the 


fields i,f 


All fadin; 




Cora 




stray on 


r gladsoL 






the char 


ms of na 


The 


rusclin 


corn, th 


fruited 


An 


d e: 'r 


happy c 


realure. 



We'll gently walk, and sweetly talk, 
Till the silent moon shine clearly ; 

I'll grasp thy waist, and, fondly prestj 
Swear how I love thee dearly : 

Not vernal show'rs to budding fiow'rs, 
Not autumn to the farmer, 

My fair, my lovely charmer : 



SONG. 

Tune-" My Nannie, 0." 

I. 

Behind yon hills where Stinchar flows, 

.Mang moors an' mosses many, O, 
The wintry sun the day has closed, 



id Maws loud an' shill ; 



My Nannie's charming, swi 

MayiUbefe'thVflatt™g J te 

lhat wad beguile my Nan 



GREEN GROW THE RASHES. 



's nought but can 
signifies the life c 



ough at last they catc 



re swears, the lovely dears 

:e han' she tried on man, 
I she made-the lasses, O. 



All fresbly steep 'd in 



DIA.VOXD CABINET LIBRARY. 



The merry plon'hboy cheer 
Wi' joy it 



And maun I .1.11, ic. 






Wl" mid, unr. jUJ | wri i ri i i step 

i tiefl h,m uu lb- ..- 

And ouu I •nil, ic. 



I when ih- lark, 'twre 

II. .the waukeos bj lb- . 



A. : r»_- i .• '-:. ! 



When ualurr ilium: ... 



And BUD I •(ill 

Aid bear (be x 

■ 



» This chorus U part of a long composed by 
a gentleman in Edinburgh, a particular friend 

T Meoie U a common abbrst'iation of Mari- 

; We cannot presume to alter any of the 
poems of oar bard, aod more especially tho-e 
primed under hi. own direction ; jet it is 10 be 
re-retted that this chorus, which is not his 
own composition, should be attached to these 
fine stanzas, as il perpetually interrupts the 
train of sentiment which they excite. 



SONG. 
Tune — ' 1 Roslin Castle." 

I. 

The gloomy nieht is gathering fast, 



Shile'lirr. I wan'der"^ 



The Autumn mot 
Acton h-r pUdd, i 



T.s not that falsi deadly shore : 
Tbo' deslh in ever} .bape appear. 
Hi- vreich-d ban no mure to f-ar : 
ilul round mj heart the lies are bound, 

These bleed afresh, those lies I tear 
To leave ibe bourne banks of Ajrr. 

IV. 

Farewell, old Coila's lulls an' dales, 

Poraafrtf p-t unhappy lo.es! 
Farewell, m, fr.ei.d., farewell, m, foes'. 
My peace with these, my lose wilu tbo.e— 
II,- bur.l lie tear, iny heart declare. 
Farewell lb. bourne banks of Ayr • 



But boundless oceans roaring wide. 
Between my love aod me, 

Tb-y never, never can divide 
.My heart and soul from tbee. 



BURNS POEMS. 



THE FAREWELL, 



ire, a big-bell} 'd bottle still ea 



" Good nigbt and joy be wi' you 



Ye favo 


r'd, y 


en 


ighte 


n'dfew,' 












Tho' I t 


o foreig 






Pursu 


n,- I-', 






dd'ry ba', 


With m 


.,:,.;! 






brimful e. 


I'll in 






I, th 


' fax awa*". 


Oft hav 

And, 

Oft hon 


I met 


you 


II 


al band, 




'i, 


"up re 




Presic 


-'.i u'e 


th 






And by 


hat hi 






bright, 



May freedom, harmony, : 



That you may keep th' unerrii 
Still rising by the plummet 

Till order bright completely si 
Shall be my pray*r when fa 



SONG. 
"Prepare, my dear Brethren, 



No churchman am I for 



Hera passes the s 
There centum per 



re my glory and care. 
; on his brother— hi 



belly 'd 



I once was persuaded a venture to make ; 
But the pursy old landlord just waddl'd' up 
With a glorious bottle that ended my cares. 



' Life's 
By the t 



s they a: 



VI. 

xt d'ye call him, that won 



Forabig-belly'd 

[A Stanza added in a Mason Lodge.] 
Then fill up a bumper, and make it o'erflow, 
May every true brother of the compass ai 



FRIAR'S CARSE HERMITAGE, 



* Young's Night Thought 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



As the shades of ev'i 
IiecL'ning thee to lonj 
As life ilaatl becomes I 
Seek the chimney -nru 



Did man, ...em. gi 

Or frugal nature gri 
Tell them, and pre. 

A> thou ihjmtf "i"> 

The .mile or frown 

■ 

Um tolid Klf-enjo) ntBl Mr. i 
That fooh.b. s-ih.h. faiililr.. nil, 



>l shortly find 



rrichrd. vile, and bl 



Night when ilioo .hall or' 
Til future life, future no m 
To light and joy the govd n 
To light mill.) unknown L 

! II... ru be tl 



SACRED TO TUB MEMOKV 

M 
Laden with unhuriour'a JMTI 

Hailed wick man; a deadly ei 



Keeper of Mammon '. 
Lo, there .he go**, ur 
bhe goo, but not to re 



Plunderer of armies, lift thine eyes, 

<A while forbear, ye tort I 

Seest thou whose step unwilling hither bent 

No fallen angel, burl'd from upper skies ; 

'Tis thj tru.'j quondam mate, 

Doom'd lo .hare tby fierj fale, 

She, tardy, hell-ward plies. 

And are thej of no more arail. 
Ten thousand glitt'ring pound, a-year ? 
In other worlds can Mammon fail, 
Omnipotent as he is here ? 



■ mock'ry of the pompous bier, 
own the wretched vital part isdl 
e-lodged beggar, with a cons 



CAPTAIN MATTHEW HENDERSON, 



A umtchlr.. heavenly light! 



O Death ! tliou ly 
Mauri thee hauie I 
And like stock-fish 



Hi-, Matthew, Nature'. Ml' .hall mot 

lly wood and wild. 
Where baply, Pits sirs, 



Yr bill., neai 
V» clIA, the hi 



r here echo sluml 



ItfJX— 



Mourn 1 


lie harebells o' 


er the Ice ; 


Y, s.atel, 


fox-glove, fair 




Ye woodbi 


ics, hanging be 


iil.ilie 
d towers ; 


Ye rotes on your Iboi 






The Ant 


o' flowers. 


At dawn 


when rs'ry gra.sy blade 


Droops aril 




its head, 


At ev'n, w 




fragrance shed 






tliug gale. 


Ye maukins whiddin tbro 


the glade, 




Come jo 


n my wail. 


Mourn ye wee songsters 


»• the wood • 


Ye grouse that crap the heather bud ; 


Ye curlews 


ealliac tkn' ■ 






Ye whist 


ing plover; 




ye whirring p 


itrick brood ; 




He 's gaue for ever '. 



BURNS — POEMS. 



Wham we i 
ae your ivy be 



Wail thro' the dreary midnight hour 



O rivers, forests, hills, and plains ! 
Oft have ye heard my canty strains: 
But now, what else for me remains 



Mourn, spring, thou darling of the year ! 
Ilk cowslip cup shall kep a tear : 
Thou, simmer, while each corny spear 



For him that's dead! 

Thou, autumn, wi' thy yellow hair, 
In grief thy sallow mantle tear 1 
Thou, winter, hurling thro' the air 

Wide o'er the naked world declare 



Mourn him, thou sun, < 

Mourn, empress of the sill 

And you, ye twinkling sta 

My Mail 

For through your orbs he' 



Go to your sculptured tombs, ye great. 
In a' the tinsel trash o' state! 
But by the honest turf I'll wait, 

Thou man of worth! 
And weep the ae best fellow's fate 

E'er lay in earth. 

THE EPITAPH. 

Stop, passenger! my story's brief ; 
And truth I shall relate, man : 



If thou on men, their works and ways. 
Canst throw uncommon light, man ; 

Here lies wha weel had won thy praise, 
For Matthew was a bright man. 



s was akinsman'o' thy^in"*"' 
For Matthew was a true man. 

f thoa hast wit, and fun, and fire, 



To'blame'poor 
For Matthew w 



Now 


Nature h 


angs her 


mantle green 


On 








And 


,.r- ,.\ h 




o' daisies whi 


Ou 










Phcebus 




crystal strean 










But. 




glad th 




That fast in 


durance 


ies. 


Now 


lav 'rocks 


wake th 


merry morn, 




ft on dev 






The merle, in 




de bow'r. 


Ma 


tes woodland echoes ring : 
















re and fre 


edom the 


y rejoice, 


W 


' care no 


thrall o 


ppress'd. 


Now 


blooms the lily by 


the bank, 


Th 




e down t 




The 






g in the glen, 




d milk-w 






The 




nd in fa 


r Scotland, 


Ma 








But 


, the Qu 


en of a' 




Ma 


un lie in 


prison st 


ang. 


Iwa 


the Que 


n o' bon 


nie France, 




here happy I hae 




Pa' 


ightly ra 






As 








And 


I'm the s 




of Scotland, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



is for the*, thou fali 



I pun thy fortune sh ne : 

God keep thee frae III) DOthcr'l faes, 

And wilt-re III. .u i.i. .-t ~ t ih_, inutlicr's friend, 

r llle'telluv. corn! 

A. ..I In the narrow doom 6' death 



No heels to bear him from the opening dun ; 
No dawn to d g, fail hated light to shun ; 

No nerves olfiii'lury, Mm tin's trusty cur. 

Clad in rich dtilness' comfortable fur. 
In naked feeling, and in aching pride, 

i , 1 1 ■ r ■ . k .- ■ i blul it. mii nan.gida: 
\ ;mi|ijre lookseliers drain bio to the heurt. 
And scorpion critics cureless veuouj dart. 



i, the) uiangle to expose. 



Hit heart by cat 
fly blockhead'.' daring 



TO ROBERT OBAUAU, : ,. 



Late crippled of an arm, and now a leg, 
About to beg a pass for li 

It sooihr. p^ur misery, bearseutug to he 



Tbou, Nature, partial Nature, 
Of thy caprice maternal I cowpli 
The lion and the bull tby care bj 



Thy minions, kinga, defend, control 

Tlie cit and polecat stink, aiid are se 
Tuadj with their poison, doctors 

The priest and hedge-bos '■» 'heir 



i.-i Is no more the ruthless critic's 
ruge! 

So, by some hedge, the generous steed de- 
Fur half.slarv'd snarling cur*, a dainty feast ; 
Lies senseless of each tugging bitch's sou, 

O dulnest ! portion of the truly bless'd ! 

' i ... .,M. .i ii. the ii.-fe exiremra 
ll mantling high .be I.I . the golden cup, 
Conscious the bounteous meed they well de- 



When disappointment snaps the clue of hop". 
And thro' disaatroua night they darkling 

raf endurance sluggishly they bear, 



And just conclude ' 

So, heavy, passive to the 
Strong on the »ign-post si 



,hly they b;-nr, 



nigs of their moon-sin 



Bytx 

I dread the fate, relentless and aevere, 
With all a pot's, husband's, father's tea 
Already one strong bold of hope ■• lost, 
Gleneairn. the truly noble, lies in dust ; 
(.•'led. like the sun eclipsed as noon appear 
■ ,d left ur -'--'•■• 






BURNS POEMS. 



Way bliss domestic smooth his private path : 
Give energy to life; and sootte his latest 

With many a filial tear circling the bed ol 



BeaeMhTc^yYteep^Yb^rd'." 
Laden with years and meikle pa 


"S 


In loud lament bewail'd bis lord, 
Whom death had all untimely 




He lean'd him to an ancient aik, 
Whose trunk was moulding 


d 


His locks we're bleached white wi 


ti 


His hoary cheek was wet wi' te 
And as he touch'd his trembling 1 

And as he tun'd his doleful san 
The winds, lamenting thro' their 

To echo bore the notes alang. 


"1 


" Ye seatter'd birds that faintly 


ing 



The relics of the vernal. 

Ye woods that shed on a' I 

The honours of the aged 



Can gladness brin= 



And ithers plant them in my room. 

Unheard, u.pitied, unrelieved, 

Lie a' that would my sorrow' share. 
«• And last, (the sum of a' my griefs ! ) 



And thou, my last, best, only friend, 

lhat fillest an untimely tomb. 
Accept this tribute from the bard 

Thou brought from fortune's mirkest gloom. 

" In poverty's low barren vale ; 

Thick mists, obscure, involv'd me round ; 
Tho' oft I turn'd the wistful eye, 

Nae ray of fame was to be found : 
Thou found'st me like the morning si 

Tb?' m.l.c th» fi,„c in li.nnin „„ 

Thef 



■ th J f^tering Ci 



ipid air, 
song 



Tlial smiles sae sweetly on her kne 
lut I'll remember thee, Glencairn, 
And a' that thou hast done for me '. 



Thou, who thy honour as thy God rever'st. 

To thee this votive off'ring I impart, 
" The tearful tribute of a broken heart." 
The friend thou valued'st, 1 the patron lov'd ; 
His worth, his honour, all the world ap- 



id the dreary path to that 



TAM O' SHAXTER : 



in'fouan'uncotappy, 
ises, waters, slaps, an' st 
sits our sulky sullen daais 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



This truth fond honest Tam o' Shaj 
(Auld Ayr, wham ne'er u town >ur«i 

O Tam ! hadst thou but been sae w 
As la'en iby ain wife Kate's advice ! 
.she tauld tbee weel thou was a skellu 



The smith and tbee gat roaring fou on ; 
That at the L-d's house, ev'n on Suuday, 
Thou drank wi' kirkton Jean till Monday. 
She prophesy 'd, that iate or soon. 
Thou would be found deep droxn'd in Doon ; 



The husband frae the wife de 

But to our tale : Ae markel 
Tam had got planted unco ri 
Fast by an ingle, bleeiing 6u 



The landlady- and Tam grew gracious. 

The souter tauld his queerest stones ; 
The landlord'* lau^h was ready chorus 
The storm without might ra.r and ru.tl 
Tam did ua mind the storm a whisiie. 

Care, mad to see a man sae happy, 






Tliat night a child might understand, 

Weel mounted on his grey mare, Meg- 
Tarn ekelpit on through dub and mire, 

Whiles holding'fasl his guid blue bonnet j 
Whiles crooning o'er some auld Scots sun 
Whiles glow 'ring round wi' prudent care-, 
Lest bogles catch him unawares ; 
Kirk-Allowuj was drawing nigh, 
W bare gbaists and houleU nightly cry — 

By this time he was cross the ford, 
Wbare in the maw the chapman amoor'd 

Whare druckeo Charlie brak '• neck banc 



Inspiring bold John Barleycorn ! 
What dangers tbou canst make us scorn ! 
Wi' tippenny, we fear nae e»il ; 

Wi' usquebae we'll face 1 the devil 

The swats sae ream'd in Tammie's noddle. 
Fair play, he cared na deils a boddle. 
But Maggie stood right sair aslonish'dt 
Till, by the beei and hand admomsb'd, 
She ventured forward on the light ; 
And, vow ! Tam saw an nnco sight ! 

But hornpipes, jigs, straihspeys, and retl*. 
Put life and mettle in their heels. 



He screw'd his pipes and gart them skirl. 
Till roof and rafters a' did dirl,— 
Cvffins stood round like open presses. 
That shaw'd the dead in the.r last dre»se, ; 
nd by some devilish cantrip sleight, 
lach in its cauld hand held a light, — 

b note upon the haly table, 
murderer's bane* in gibbet aims ; 
Twa span-lang, wee uucbrisleu'd bairn. : 

Wi' his last gasp his gab did gape: 




indblew 

Therattlin'shoi 
'Ine speedy gleai 
Loud, deep, and 



They recl'd, they s 
Till ilka carli'a swat a 



BURNS— POEMS. 

, they There at them thou thy tall may I 

But ere the key-stane she could n 
ill she had to shake ! 
for Nannie, far before the rest, 
Hard upon noble Maggie press 'd, 
^nd flew at Tam wi'" furious ettle 
3ut little wist she Maggie's meltl 
5 spring brought aff her master 



Butle 



,r bj tl: 



But Tam kenn'd what was whatfu' br 
There was ae winsome wench and wall. 
That night enlisted in the core, 
(Lang after kenn'd on Carr.ck shore ! 



In longitude though sorely scanty', 
That sarkshTcoft for Cr^Nanni'e!' 



When on 

When plund;ring terd/S their byke ; 
When, pop' 



tal foes, 

rts before their nose ; 

When «« Catch the thief!" resounds aloud; 

So Maggie runs, the witches follow, 

Wi* mome an eldritch screech and hollow. 

Ah, Tam ! Ah, Tam ! thou'll get thy fairii 

In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin ! 

Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg, 



n fact, that witches, oi 
no power to follow a 
r than the middle of the 



nk ye may buy the j 
uember Tam o' Sha 



'.I pleasure glad tby cru 



etch, some place of n 



The cold earth with thy bloody bosom press'd 

Oft as hy winding Nith, I musing wait 

The sober eve, or hail the cheerful dawn, 

I'll m,ss thee sporting o'er the dewy lawn, 

And curse the ruffian's aim, and mourn tnj 

hapless fate. 



■gin Spring, by E 

Unfolds her tender manl 

Or pranks the sod in frolic 



Yet oft, delighted, stops to tri 
The progress of the spiky bl 

While Autumn, benefactor ki 
By Tweed erects his aged h 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



Here souler John in death does sle: rp : 

Satan, gie him thv fear to keep. 
He 'J, Uaudit «eel Ihegilber. 

OX A NOISY POLEMIC 



ON WEE JOHNNY. 
Hicjacct wee Johnny. 

re his body lies fu* low — 



FOR THE AUTHOR'S FATHER. 

ye whose cheek the tear of pity stains. 
Draw near with pious rev'rence and attend 

Here lie the loving husband's dear remains, 
The tender father, and the gen'rous friend 



(For none that knew him need be told) 
A warmer heart death ne'er made cold. 



FOR G. H. Esq. 

The poor man weeps— here G 

it with such as he, where'er he 



A BAUD'S EPITAPH. 

fast for tbTugbi, owre hot for ru'e, 
Dale to seek, owre proud to snool, 

And owre this grassy heap sing dool, 

Is there a bard of rustic song, 
Who, noteless, steals the crowds among. 
That weekly this area throng, 

O, pass not by ! 
But, w.th a frater feeling strong, 

Her. heave a sigh. 

Is there a man, whose judgment clear. 



FOR R. A. Esq. 

ou, O stranger to the U 
h loved, much honour' 



U-: | 



and, through tli 
Surve; - u: - 



is grave. 

The poor inhabitant below. 
Was quick to learn and wise to kno 
And keenly felt the friendly glow, 

But thoughtless follies laid him low 



Header, attend— whether thy soul 
Or darkly grubs this earthly hole. 



ON THE LATE CAPTAIN GRUSL'S 
i THROUGH SCOTLAND, 
NTIQLITIBS OK THAT 



And, faith, he'll pi 



ifeS? 



2* 




eur.vs poe:.;s. 



Aad vow I he has ar 



s, they say, L— d safe'3 ! 
At some black ai 



Ilk ghaist that haunts auld ha' or chains 
Ye gipsy-gang that deal in glamor, 
And you deep-read in hell's black gramma! 



It's tauld he was a sodger bred, 
But now he's quat the sporlle blade. 



Of Eve's first fire he has a cinder : 
Auld Tubal-Cain's fire-sh»l and fender 
That which distinzuished the gender 



Forbve he'll shape you aff, fu' gleg, 
The cut of Adam 
The knife that nickel Abel's craig, 

He'll prove you fully, 
It was a faulding jocteleg, 

Orlang-kailgullie— 

But wad ye see him in his glee, 

Then set him down, and twa or three 

Guid fellows wi' hi.n : 
Aad port, O port '. shine thou a wee, 



They sair misca' thee ; 
I'd take the rascal by the nose. 

Wad say. Shame fa' thee ! 



TO MISS CRUIKSHANKS. 
A VERY YOUNG LA 



Never Eurus* pois'nous breath, 
Never baleful stellar lights. 
Taint thee with untimely blights ! 
Never, never reptile thief 



Shed thy dying honours ro 
And resign to parent earth 
The loveliest form she e'er 



SONG. 

Anna, thy charms my bosom fire, 



A NEWSFAPKK , 
THE DEATH OF JOHN M'LEOD, ESQ. 



Fair on Isabella's r 



D CABINET LIBRARY. 

>bin pensive, aului 
ill her locks ol yell 



beyond Ihe grave, 
is blossoms there shall blow, 



And feai 
Shall happy b< 



My Lord, I know your noble ear 

Kmlil'.Ul.'nM ilm,, I b. -a you'll hear 

Your humble slave complain, 
How saucy Phoebus' scorching beams. 

Dry-withering, waste my foaming btrei 
And drink my crystal "tide. 

The lightly jumping glowrin IroUs, 
Thai thru' my waters play, 

r i he margin stray ; 
If, hapless chance ! they linger lang, 

I'm scorching up so shallow. 
They're left Ihe whit'iiing stanes ninon 

In gasping death to wallow. 



Wi' ball my channel dry ; 



Here, foaming down the shelry rocks, 
. boiling torrent smoke,. 



The sober laverock warbling wild, 

Shall to the skies aspire ; 
The gowdspink, music's gayest child. 

Mi all sweetly join the choir: 
The blackbird strong, the limwhite cle; 

The mavis wild and mellow, 



rom prone descending showers. 
I here, by sweet endearing sl:a!:h 



id eye the sm. king, Uewy Iuvmi, 
And misty inountuin, grey ; 
Or, by the reaper's nightly beam. 
Mild cl,e,,„er,ug thro' the tree*. 



So may old Scotin's darling hope. 

Your little angel bund. 
Spring, like their fathers, up to prop 

Their bonour'd native land! 
So may, thro' Albion's farthest ken. 

To social flowing glasses. 
The grace be_-Athole's honest inen, 

And Alhole's houiiie lasses!" 



ON SCARING SOME WATER-FOW 



A WILD SCENE 






TERTYKE. 


Why, ye tenants 


of the lake, 


For me your wat 




Tell me, fellow-c 


features, wh, 


At my presence t 


tus you fly ? 


Why disturb you 


r social joys, 


Parent, filial, ki 


7dred ties ? 


Common friend 




Nature's gifts to 
Peaceful keep yo 


all are free : 


or dimpling wave, 






Or, beneath the 




Bide the surging 


billow's shock. 



BURNS — POEMS. 



The eagle, from the cliffy bi 
Marking you his prey below. 



k Grief might heav 
h forget and pardon i 



In these savage, liquid plains, 
Ouly known to wand'rmg swains, 



WRITTEN WITH A PENCIL 



Admiring Nature in In 



The meeting cliffs each deep-sunk glen di- 

The woods.'wild-scatter'd, clothe their ample 

An outstretching lake, embosom'd *mong the 

The eye with wonder and amazement fills ; 
The Tay meand'ring sweet in infant pride, 
The palace rising on his Mordant side. 
The lawns wood-fringed in Nature's native 

The arches striding o'er thTra^ta^stara ; 

The village, glittering in the noontide beam — 



Lone 



roar of headlong tumbling 



Misfortune's ligh'teu'd steps might waude 
And Disappointment, in these lonely bounds, 



WRITTEN WITH A PENCIL, 



Till full he dash, 

Where, thro' a 

resounds. 

As high in air th 



en, through rising mists, and ce 



A POSTHUMOUS CHILD, 



Sweet Flow'ret, pledge o' meikle love, 
And ward o' mony a prayer, 

What heart o' stane wad thou na move, 
Sae helpless, sweet, and fair ! 

November hirples o'er the lea, 
Chill on thy lovely form ; 

"should 'shield thee frae the storm.' 

May He who gives the rain to pour, 



Fair on the summer mora: 
Now teebU Lends she in the blast, 
Unshelter'd and forlorn. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 
THE WHISTLE i 



As (lie authentic prose history i.f the Whistle 

olAtiueof Denmark, when she ant 1.. Scot- 
land wiili our James llie Sixth, there came 
over also a Danish gentleman of gigantic sla- 

pion of Bacchus. He had a little ebony 
Whistle which ot the commencement of the 
orgies he laid on the table, and whoever was 

last able to blow it, ever) 1. dj else being dis- 

nVlh.-\\hJi'l'c '.',?., tr. ',i, ; , of Victor). The 
Dane produced credentials of bis victories, 
without a single rVfcat, at the courts of Copen- 
hagen, Stockholm, Moscow, Warsaw, 



pell) c 



o the nl- 



challengcd th< 

terualiveof in io- 
know ledging Iheir inferiority After many 
overthrows on the part of the Scols, ihe Dane 
«» encountered by Sir lloberl Lawrie of 
Maxwellun, ancestor to the present worthy 
baronet of i bnt name; who, afier three days 
and three nights' hard coute.t, left the Scan- 



t, the lord of the C 



No tide of the Baltic e'er drunker than he. 

Thu9 Robert victorious, the trophy bas 
Which now iu his house has for ages re- 
Till three noble chieftains, and all of his 

blood. 
The jovial contest again have renew 'd. 

Three joyous good fellows, with hearts clear 
of flow J 
Craigdarroch, so famous for wit, worth, and 

And gullaiit Sir Robert, deep read in old 

Craigdarroch began, with a tongue smooth 

Desiring (ilenriddel to yield up the spoil ; 
Or else he would muster the heads of the 

And once more, in claret, try which was the 
" By the gods of the ancients, " Clenriddel 



the Whistle his requiem shrill. 

• lie to Walle. 

ad married a ''" injure the ghost of the gl 

iday ihe Kith ' M«™ r 



Waller's — On Pi 
of October, 171)0, al Friars Cat 
tie was once more contended for, as related in 
Ibe ballad, by Ihe present Sir Robert Lawrie of 
Maxwelton ; Robert Riddel, i'.tq. of Clenrid- 
del, lineal descendant and representative of 
Waller Rtddrl, who won the Whistle, and iu 
whose family it had continued ; and Alexander 
L-darroch, likewise de- 



I sing of a Whistle, a Whistle of worth, 
1 sins ..i ■ Whistle, ihe pride of the North, 

king, 

And long with this Whistle all Scotland thai 



And buiii| 



bis born with him twenty times 



Sir Robert, a soldier, no speech would pro- 

Viend. 
Said, To.s down the Whistle, the prize of the 

held, 
And knee-deep in claret, he'd die or he'd 

yield. 

To the board of Clenriddel our heroes re- 



selected to witness Ihe fray ; 

etested all sadness and spleen, 
that Parnassus a vineyard hi 



In the 1 

And the band9 gTew the lighter th 



•J- See Johnson's Tour to ihe Heor t 



And vowed that to leave them he was quite 

Till Cynthia hinted he'd see them next morn. 

Six bottles a-piece had well worn oat th. 

When gallant Sir Robert, to finish the fight, 



Andsv 



15 '.lie V. 



it their 



ungodly would wage; 



No longer the w 
A high.ruling E: 
He left the foul business to folks les 

The gallant Sir Robert fought h 

But who can with fate and quart bu 

Though fate said-a hero should 



Next np rose our bard, like a prophet in 
" Craigdarroch, thou'It soar when creation 

Come— one bottle more —and have at the sub- 

" Thv line, that have struggled for Freedom 
with Bruce, 
Shall heroes and patriots ever produce ; 
So thine be the laurel, and mine be the bay ; 
The field th^u hast won, by yon bright god of 
day ! " 

SECOND EPISTLE TO DAVIE, 



I'm three times doubly o'er von: 
For jour auld-farrent, frien'lv 
Tho' I maun say 't, I doubt ye: 



POEMS. 
But Davie, 



Until ye fyke ; 
usud ne'er be faikit, 
Be hain't wha like. 

a Parnassus' brink, 
dstae gar them clink; 
t wi' love, whyles dae: 



Of a' the theuzhtles' 
Commen' me to the ] 



0' rhym.n' cl 
that I suld ban, 
They ever thir, 






Haud tae the Muse, my dainty Davie ; 
But for the Mu»e, she'll never leave ye 



Tr^o, 



S MY EARLY DAYS. 



nd wi' the lave ilk merry ni 



ang the bearded bear, 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

increasing blast roar'd round Ihe beetling 
e clouds, swift-wing'd, flew o'er the star- 



Wild floated in my brain : 



SIR JAMES HUNTER BLAIR. 



dariteL 



oudy, sunk beneath 

iw whistled in the rocky cave. 

rander'd by each cliff and dell, 

! loved haunts of Scotia's royal 

(here limpid streams, once hallow'd 

.6 

I 'ring ruins mark the sacred fane. [ 



this poem, in page 14. 

f This is one of our Bard*3 early produc 
dons. Miss Armour is now Mrs Burns. 

i The King's Park at Holyrood-house. 



And 'mo 
In weeds ol 



the cliffs disclosed i 



The lightning of b< 

Kf.erM-d ll 



I that banner. 



Tunc—" Bonnie Dundee.' 1 


•' .My patriot son 611s an untimely grave!" 




With accents wild and lifted ar'lns she eri.d ; 


In Mauchline there dwells six proper young 


'* Low lies the hand that oft was stretch'd to 


belles. 




The pride of the place and its neighbour- 


Low lies the heart that swell'd with honest 


hood a', 




Their carriage and dress, a stranger would 






" A weeping country joins a widow's tear, 


In Lon'on or Paris they'd gotten it a'. 


'ihe helpless poor mix with the orphan's 


Uiai Millet a fine, Uin MarUands divine. 


C ° ■ 


u ihe has wit, and Uia Hetty is 








There's beauty and fortune to get »i' Una 


Slgh. 


Morion, 




But Armour 'st the jewel for me o' them a'. 










But, ah ! bow hope in Lorn but to expire ! 





Relentless fate has laid the guaroian low 



"And I will join a 
Thro' future times 
That distant yeat 
Blairs."— 



d with the swee 



BURNS POEMS. 

id the Moro low wa9 laid at the sou 
Lai de daudle, &c. 



d the simple artless rhymes, 



THE JOLLY BEGGARS: 



my country need me, with Elliot to 

ter on my stumps at the sound of the 

Lai de daudle, &c. 

v though I must beg with a wooden 



happy with n 

ay callet, 

u I used in s« 



diet, my bottle : 
o follow the drur 



What tho' with hoary locks, I mi 
Beneath the woods and rocks often 
When the t'other bag I sell, and 



He ended ; and the kebars sheuk, 

Aboon the chorus roar ; 
While frighted rattans backward leuk, 

And seek the beninost bore ; 
A fairy tiddler frae the neuk, 

He skirl'd out encore! 
But up arose the martial chuck, 

And laid the loud uproar. 



I am a son of Mars who have be 
And show my cuts and scars when 



r 'prenticeship I pass'd where my leadei 



* The old Scotch name for 



I once was a maid, tho* I cannot tell when, 

Some one of a °troop of dragoons "was my 

daddie. 
No wonder I'm fond of a sodger laddie. 
Sing, Lai de lal, &c 

II. 

The first of my loves was a swasjgering blade, 
To rattle the thundering drum was his trade ; 
His leg was so tight, and his cheek wa a so 
ruddy, 
rted was I with my sodser laddie. 
Sing, Lal de lal, &c. 

IIL. 

But the godly old chaplain left him in the 

lurch, 
So the sword I forsook for the sake of the 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRA UY. 



Full soon I gre 


»sick 


of the 


The ngtaa.1 , . 

Jrum the gild 

ready, 
I naked no more 


large for a 
d spontoou 

bu! a sodge 
Slug, Lai 



But the peace it reduc'd me to beg in despnir. 
Till 1 met my old boy at a Cunningham fair ; 
11.= rage regimental the) flulter'd so gaudy. 
My heart it rejoiced at uij sodger laddie, 

VI. 

And still I can join in a cup or a song ; 

But whilst with both bands I can bold the 

bee, my hero, my eodger laddie. 
Sing, Lai de laf, Ice. 

RBCITATIVO. 



IKre's 



a raucle carlin, 
(u eleek Hie sterlii 
she had hooked, 
. well been ducked, 
a Highland laddie 

loon liigblaudmai 



Then i 
■Whal 



A llighlan 

TUe Lalla. 

But be atil 

My gallant 



Sing, hey my braw John Highlandmac 
Sing, ho my braw John Highlaudmau 

Was malch for my John Highlandman 

II. 

With his philibeg an* urtan plaid. 
An' gude claymore down by his side. 
The ladies* hearts he did trepan. 
My gallant braw John Highlandman. 
Sing, hey, &c 

III, 

Vie ranged a' from Tweed to Spey, 
An' lived like lords and ladies gay ; 
F. r a Lalland face he feared none. 
My gallant braw John Highlandman, 
Sing, hey, &c 



They banish'd him beyon 



Ml '■' 


res that will ne'er r 




No comfo 


but a hearty can. 




When 1 til 


ink on John Highla 
Sing, he, 






&b 




RECITATIVO 




A pigmy s 


draper, wi' hi. fidd 


e, 






.Iriii.i: 


Her strap! 


aulimbandgawiy 


uidOle 

..■ hieh 


Had hol'd 


his heanie like a ri 


die, 


Wi' hand 


on haunch, an' upward e'e 


He croon' 


1 hi, ;.«»!, one, t 




Then in a 






. 


""' The^wee Ap 


Wo 



Tunc-" Whistle owre the la 

L 

Let me ryke up to dight that tear, 



CHORUS. 
I am a fiddler to my trade, 



Sut bless me wi' | 
ind while I kitth 
lunger, cauld, a 
.May whistle ov 



is bad struck a sturdy Caird, 



Relinquish her for ever. 
Wi' ghastly e'e, poor tweedle dee 

And pray'd for grace wi' ruefu' fac< 

And sae ill 

When round the tinkler prest'h'er 

He feign'd to snirtle in his sleeve, 

When thus the caird address'd he 



In many a noble squadron : 
But vain they search'd, when off I mareh'd 
To go and clout the cauldron. 

I've ta'en the gold, &c. 

II- 

Despise that shrimp, that withei'd itnp, 

The budget an' the apron. 
An' by that stowp. my faith and 1 

Ife' 



.' by that dear Keil 



An' by that stowp, &c 



i I ne', 



The caird prevail'd— the unblushing fair 
In his embraces sunk. 

Sir Vio P lin r o, J wi 1 th W anVr Ua ' 
Thatshow'damanofspunk, 

Wish'd unison between the pair. 
An' made the bottle clunk 

To their health that nig 



That 



n Cupid 



i shaft 



Tho' limping with the spavie 

He hirpl'd up, and lap like daft 

An' shor'd them Daintie Dav 



.POEMS. 

as a care-d-efying blade 
ever Bacchus listed. 
Though Fortune sair upon him laid, 

His heart she ever miss'd it. 
He had no wish but-to be glad, 

He hated nought but— to be sad, 
And thus the .Muse suggested, 

His sang that uight. 



Time— " For a' that, an' a' that." 



Wi' gentle folks, an' a' that: 
Sut Homer-like, the glowran byke 



For a' that, an' a' that; 

I've lost but ane, I've twa 
I've wife enough for a' t 



tlove I bear to a' the fair, 
eir humble slave, an* a' th 
ordly will, I hold it still 

For a' that, & 



ang the ilie may slang, 
For a' that, &c. 



Their tricks and craft have i 
They've ta'en me in an' a 

But clear your decks, aud he 
Ihkethejadsfora'that. 

" For a' that, an' a* 



> sung the bard-and Nan 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



Thai » 
Dr Mae.i 



'■■lly Mortal. L!l >our (J 

I. 

hee the emoking bowl before m. 

And in rapturo let Q> >mg. 



t a-brcwing ; 



A fig for lliose tv law protected ! 
Chu/cho. Luilt lu pleaae the pric 



Ofpl-MF.. f 



rt vly trick • 

Round »e v.«nd-r al 
And at nighi in barn 01 

.! Juiioa on ll 



D'rymple mild,§ D'rymple mild, ~tho' }m r 
And your lif.- Ilka tl,.- .«« driven ana>w, 

For pmaching tbat three', ana an' Iwa. 
Rumble John, || Rumble John, mount iba 



1 bn 



And roar ev 'rj note of the damu'd. 
impar Jamea,^ Simper Jamee, leave the I 

hat the pack ye 'II m 



I'ttll 



ife it all a rario 


ram. 


\\ - regard not 
Woo have char 


howitgoe.; 

A fcg, i,c. 


VI. 
lam'a 10 budgeta, t d_'i, and wallet. ! 

Hara'a to all the wand'ring min ! 
i-r* '» «jf nigged brat, and caJlei. ! 

One and ail cry out. Amen ! 


A fi,Tfor tbo, 
Libert. '. a 

Cburchea L 


■e by law protected 1 
gloriou. feaat ! 



THE KIRK'S ALARM.* 



Singel Sawney,** S.nget 8awn«y, ar 
Iba penny . 

\\V a jump, yell, and howl,' alarm t 

For the foul ibief U ju.t al your gato. 

Daddy Auld, ft Daddy Auld, there", a to 
the fiuld, 
A tod meikle waur than the clerk ; 
Tho' ye can do little tenth, ye'll be in al 
death. 
And if ye canna bite ye may bark. 

Davie Blu.ter.i* D 



it', bejuat, royal 
uthekingoflhe 



, if for a taint 
blood ye might 



Orthodox, orthodox. 



Jamie Gooae,§§ Jamie Goose, ye hat made bi. 

But the Do 

baly 

He ha. a 



t Irr ■«— 

« Dr D 

' Mr H«- 

f t MrA_ 



ft* M r M y. 

±7 Mr G , Ochiltree. 

— g, Co in nock. 



BURNS, 

Poet Willie,* Poet Willie, gie the Doctor a 

Wi' jour liberty's chain and jour wit ; 
O'er Pegasus' side you ne'er laid a stride, 
Ye but smelt, man, the place where he sh-t. 

Audro Gouk.t Andro Gouk, ye may slander 

And the book not the waur let me tell ye ; 

Barr Steenie.q: Ban- Steenie, what mean ye ? 

Ye may ha'e some pretence to havins' and 

Wi' people wha ken ye nae better. 

Irvine side,§ Irvine side, wi' your turkey-cock 
pride, 

Ye've^thefen jour faes will 

allow, 
And your friends they dare grant you nae 



To confound the poor Doctor at ance. 
Holy Will, "J Holy Will, there was wit i 



Wha should swing in a rape for an hour. 

Calvin's sons, Calvin's sons, seize your sp'ri 

Ammunition ye never can need ; 
Your hearts are the stuff, will be powthe 

And your skulls are storehouses o' lead. 
'-'-u'nglurnr 



THE TWA HERDS. ** 

O a* ye pious godly flocks, 
Yweli.-don pastures orthodox, 
Wha uow will keep you frae the fox, 



Mr S h, Galston. || Mr S d, 

■J An Elder in Mauchline. 



O, M y, man, and worthy R 

"— could vou raise so vile a bustle, 
see how new-light herds will wi 
And think it fine '. 
The Lord's cause ne'er got sic a twiss 
Sin'Iha'emin'. 



alhelik'dtoshed their bluic 



igy sheep could scrub, 
Or nobly fling the gospel club, 
' ' new-light herds could nicely drub, 

Or pay their skin, 
Could shake them o'er the burning dub ; 

Or heave them in. 



cfan 



Ilk ither" 



i, hypoer 



But chiefly thou, apostle I 

We trus 

That thou wilt work them 



W30 DIAMOND 

Andbailh'tbe 8 -I 

Thai aft ha'e made us black and blae, 
\\V vengefu' paws. 



A chield wha'll roundlj buff our bwf| 
1 meikle dread Um. 

And monie a ane lhal I could tell, 

There S_h for ane, 
1 doubt he's but n grey-l 



(1 


a' je flockt o'er a* the btlUti 


Bj 


moon, mead 






me join jour i 






i get the brotc 


To cow the laird.. 
To choo.e their he 


Th 


rn Orthodoxy 
d learning ,n 
J that fell cur 


jet maj prance, 
ca'd Commoo'srai 


1, 


b-«va„.. 


Lei him Lark tber< 


Tli 


n BW. an 


Delrjmple's eloqo 



M'V_«', pathetic manlj sense. 

And gold & b, 

»\ i' 5— h, who througn the heart cau glsji 
Alay a* pack all. 



1IIL IIESPECK'D BUbBANa 
bo haa no will but bj her high permn-sioi 



CABINET LIBRARY. 

The laen is game, a bluidj devi 

But better stuff ne'er claw'da u 



Ye keu yoursela, for little feck '. 

Ye bonnio losses, dight jour een, 

1„ Kigl.iy-eighi. je ken. was ta'e'n 
\> hat ye'll ne'er hae M gi 'e again. 

wry nowt an' aheep. 
How d-jMff an' dowie now thej creep ; 

lor Eiubru' welU are grulteu drj. 

Eighty-nine thou", but a bairn. 
Au'noowreauld, 1 hope, to learn 1 
Thoo beardless boy , I pray tak' care. 
Than now has got thy daddy's chair, 
Nac haiid-cuff'd. uiizzl'd. huff-shockl'd 11..- 

Hut, like 1,'insel', a full free agent, 

Nat wwr than he°did. holies" man ! 
As meikle better as you cau. 
January 1, 1788. 

VBB8BB 

l W1MOOW09 TUB UK AT 



H ere such the w Me bad fallen to m 
I'd break herspirn, or I'd break hi 



ELEGY ON THE YEAR 1789. 

tn let them die— for mat they're born '. 
>. ob, prodigious to reflect, 
rowmont. Sirs, is gane to wreck ! 



We cam na here to view your warks 

B..i o.iw, le.t we gang to hell. 
It mj be dm surprise : 

S.- may, should" „„ 10 hell*, yet'ls come. 
Your billy Satan sair us I 

LINES WRITTEN BY BURNS, 



ITe who of R— k— n aantr, lies stiff and dead 
i green grassy hillock hides his head J 
alas ! a devilish change indeed ! 



At a meeting of the Dumfries-shire Volunteer*, 

iney's victory, April 12ib, 1782. Burns 
i called upon for a Song, instead of which 
idivend the following Lines:— 



BURNS — ] 
That we lost, did I say, nay, by heav'n ! that 
For their fame 'it shall last while the world 
The next ia succession. III give you the King 

As built on the base of the gTeat Revolution ; 

Be Anarchy curs M, and I 

And who would to Liberty e'er prove disloyal 



THE BIRKS OF ABERFELDY. 



Bonny lassie will ye ■ 



While o'er their heads the hazels hing, 
The little birdies blythel" sing, 
Or lightly flit on wanton" wing 
In the b irks of Aberfeldy. 



The braes ascend like 1 

The foaming stream de 

O'erhung w:' fragrant 

Thebirksof Aberfeid 



The hoary cliflFs are crown'd wi' 

The birk's of Aberfeldy. 

Bonnie lassie, &c 

Let fortune's gifts at random fle. 

Supremely bhst wi' love and th< 
In thebirksof Aberfeldy. 

Bonnie lassie, &c.' 



STRATHALLAN'S LAMENT. 



1 surround my lonely c; 
il streamlets gently flow 



n the cause of right engaged, 
lonour's war we strongly waged. 



THE YOUNG HIGHLAND ROVER. 
Tune— " Morag." 

Loud blaw the frosty breezes. 
The snaws the mountains cover ; 

Like winter on me seizes, 

Since my young Highland rover 

Far wanders nations over. 

Where'er he go, where'er he stray; 



When by his mighty warden, 
My youth's return 'd to fair Stratuspi 
And bonuie Castle Gordon- 4 



t Slrathallan, it is presumed, was one n 
the followers of the young Chevalier, and i 
supposed to be lying concealed in some cave o 
the Highlands, after the battle of Cuilodeu. 



I Chevalier, Prince Charles E 



!«•— " M'fJrigor of Huoxu's Lamni 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

le (ripped by (be banks of Era, 
' Blythe, ic 



mil, I 



■ 

1 Ueu.urmg. 






wdajiofjoj 

Lit lhal know, no morrow. 
" O'er (li>- pa B ( loo fondly wandering, 

On (be bopeh-.-. lulur. 

. IKr-biooU li<,r,». 












ML mm. OK i in. EtOABINO 

Tura:—'' Druituiondubb." 



Gaudy day (o you U dear. 
Gentle night, do thou befrienc 



BLYT11E WAS MIC. 
BWlhe, blytbr, and merry was tbi 

«... ,be but and Leu; 

Blytheby th, banks M Km, 
And bijtbc in CHaunrit glen. 

By Ougbtertjre grows lie aik. 



!o (be Eiiilor. It il 



Tbe .renin* .un 
A» was (be bin 

Jlljlbe, &C. 

The Highland bills 1 



I'Phemi 



A Ros.-bud by my early walk, 
Adown a cur... inclosed ba*k. 
bo.- n-'-ilj benl iU thoruy stalk, 






And drooping rich ibe dewy head, 
It M.OU tbe earl, u.om.ng. 



le l.u.b, her covert nest 
,;it .lull,, on her breast 



io Ihou, dear bird, young Jeany fair 

pay the tender care 
Tunt lent, llij earl, morning. 



young and gay, 

ning ray 
morning.* 



The lofty Ocbil» n„e. 
'ir in their shade my Peggy's chari 

A lonely gem surrey*, 

lotonish'd doubly marks its beam. 
With art's moot poli.h'd blaae. 



Blest be the wild, sequester'd shade, 
And blest the day and hour, 

Where Peggy's charms I first survey V 
When first I felt their power ! 



Mast be a stronger death. 

TIBBIE, I HAE SEEN THE DAY. 

Tune—" Inyercauld's Reel." 

O Tibbie, I hae seen the day 

Ye would na been sae shy ; 

For laik o' gear ye lightly me, 



Yestreen I met yon on the t 
Ye spak na, bat gaed by lit 
Ye geek at me because I'm 



Tibbie', I hae, &e 
sorrow tak him that' 



But if he hae the name o' gear. 

Ye '11 fasten to him like a brier, 

Tho' hardly he, for sense or leal 

Be better than the kve. 

O Tibbie, I hae, kc 

But, Tibbie, lass, tak my advici 

Yonr daddie's sear maks vou sa 

The deil a ane Wad spier your p 

Were ye as poor as L 

Tibbie, I hae, ire 

I w^uld'na gie hereunder sar*" 
For thee wi' a thy thousand ma 

O Tibbie, I hae, &c.° 



CLARINDA. 
Clarinda, mistress of my soul, 



.POEMS. 

Depriv'd of thee, his life and light. 



She, the fair sun of all her sex, 

Has blest my glorious day: 
And shall a glimmering planet fix 



Tune—" Seventh of November. " 
The day returns, my bosom burns, 



THE LAZY MIST. 
The lazy mist hangs from the brow of 

Concealing the course of the dark wine 
How languid the scenes, late so sprightly, 



Asav 



,ena!e ; . 



The forests are leafless, the meadows 
And all the gay foppery of summer is flow 



How little of life's 



And downward, how weaken'd, how darken 

how pain'd ! 
This life's not worth having with all it t 

For something beyond it poor man sure ni 



0, WERE I 0.V PARNASSUS HILL. 

Tune—" My lore it lotl to me. " 

O wore I on Parnassus bill ! 
Or hid of Helicon niy fill ; 
'loat 1 might catch poetic skill, 
To ting how dear I love tl„-e. 
But Xilh maun be my mm 
M» must maun be thy buuuie Mi' i 
On U.r»incou I'n glower auj spell. 



DLVMOXD CABINET LIBRARY. 

And aye the wild wo 



ForV 



nm«e, inspire my lay ! 



ng oVr the gi 

imp, thy liiuus »ae cl 

11 mj eartn I 

By night, by day, afield, at hame, 
The thoughts u' thee ui» breast lutlame; 
Ann ijil muse and s ng thy uauic : 

1 unit .i<- : 
IV 1 were douoi'd to wander on, 
lle.ondtbe sea, beyond the sun, 



v3™' 



Three blither hearts, that lee tang night, 
Ve wad ua find iu Chruteudie. 



Bui just a drappie in our e'e ; 

The cock may craw, the day ma 

Aud aye we'll taste the barley 



I LOVE MY J! A.V. 
.■Admiral Gordon's Strathspey." 



Fe> ikmlfaaboa 


me lassie live 






The lassie 1 lo- 


1 best: 






There »ilJ wood. 
















But day and nigh 


my fancy '• 11 


.-.it 




Is ever »>• my 


Jean. 






I tee her in the d 


wy flower,. 








and fair: 














i hear her char 








There's not a boo 


lie Bower lha 


.;.., 


9 








There'i not a bou 








But minds me o 


uiyJeau. 







It is the moon, I ken her born, 

iking in the lift sae high , 
She shine, sae bright lo art U 01 hame, 

Dot b. in) troth she'U wait a wee! 
We are me fou, *c 



irsl beside his chair shall fa °, 
We are me fou, Uz.\ 



THE BLUE-EYED LASSIE. 



THE BRAES 0' BALLOCHMYLE. 



The Catrine woods w 



»en decayed on Catrme lee,* 



Herset' in Leauty's bloom 



A h*r golden ringlets brigbl t 



in frae her e'en sae bi 



L. rshire, the teat of r.ugald 
o'lestor of Mo.al l'nilo-opby 
>f Edinburgh. Ballochmj ' 
of Sir John Whitefoord, e 
r, Eetj. (1800.) 



t spare to speak, and spai 



BURNS.— POEMS. 



TAM GLEN. 



THE BANKS OF NITH. 

Tune — " Kobie Donna Gorach." 

The Thames flows proudly to the sea, 
Where royal cities stand ; 



John Anderson, my jo, John, wh< 
To try her canny hand, John, he 
And you aroang them a', John, sae 

le journey-work, John 



!g fra £ 



my jo. 



John. 



ly jo, John, ye were my firs: 



How lovely, Nith, thy fruitful valt 

Where spreading hawthorns gai 

How sweetly wind thy sloping dali 



e folk say ye're auld, John, Itt 



Far from thy tx 
May there my lab 



JOHN ANDERSON MY JO. 
John Anderson, my jo, John, 



John Andera 


therat the to 
on my jo. f 


ot, 








Lochmaben!™ 


ne of this son 
This lady, n 


g - 


M 


Miss J. 
s R. a 


of 


residing some 
with her husba 




jrk 


N 


jrth Am 


Jr- 


+ In the fa- 
Poetry, Origi 
Brash and Re 


t volume of a 
nal and Sele 
d of Glasgow 


;; 




printed 


by 



JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO, IMPROVED. 



i, my jo, John, what pleasure 

any sprouts, John, spring up 

id lass, John, in our footsteps 

leaven here on earth, John An- 
my jo. 

, my jo, John, when we were 

""like the raven, your bonnie 

e like the snaw, 

on your frosty pow, John An- 



it affright us, John, our he 

'er oar fpe, 

:ent delight we lived, John 



%£H j0 * John ' we clE 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBUAIIY. 



Hut wbat vOI I da ■•' i'ui Glen ? 

I'm thinking wi' tic a braw fellow. 

In poorlith 1 in. g lit Baft • 1*0 : 
\\ hit care 1 in riche. to wallow, 

ll 1 ui.unna marry Tatu (Jlcn. 

There'* Lowrie the lmrJ ..' DaaMlbjf 



Tbcjr flatter, .be w).. la 
Uut wha can think .a 

Mj dedd.e.a... gii rii | 



■ the V.leut: 

I dr*« iu 



A i.- in* »ery grey bree., 
Come coaneel, dear till.*, doa'l tarry ; 

HatR'fl llll. JMM.I- 

O meikle thinki mj lu>* a' tnj beauty, 

■ 



will; bal.ad, it bu no accordance with (he 
■una of delicate tad I 
unproved eoog. la regard Ij< 

. - : .,ugn they are in Uie 

- two Btania* that are 
a«ly our bard'*, jet avarf rvadai 
ment will teethe} are U an lal 
and the real author I 
bate g..eu -hem, nor tulTered theiu to be giren, 

.. ae the production of Burn.. It 
ibere were no other mark of their tpuriou. ori- 
fiii. toe latter half of the third 



- ,«rd haa ai 
e rnjmee, but a tingle inalaai 
produced, in which, to preaervc the rhynu 



ha. g.ien a feei 



- Ihoagfce, HI !+.,' ;• . ■ ..r 
ae eauiiiooal ttanzae are not howe'er 
without merit, and they may 



Your proffer o' loie't an arlr prnm. 

.Mi tocher 'a the bargain ye wad buy j 
Hut an' ye be crafty. 1 aiu cuimm. 



(lane it the day and nfrl ' 

Hut we'll ne'er .tray lor f.ut. o' light, 

For ale and brandy '. Han and 11.0011, 

Then guidwife count lb. lawin, Ilia law 

Than faidwlh counl ihe lawiu, and 

- uia.r. 

Tlirre'. wraith an' nw for gentlemen. 

Hut bare we're «' 111 M 

. .J«.l« count, ate. 

M, coggi. I. a baly pool. 

And plra.ure i> a wai.' 
An' y« drink 11 a' i-'.i hud him out. 
1 dw.f. count, etc. 



What can a young laaiie, what .ball a young 

. a young laaaie do wi' an auld 

Bad luck on lha pennie that tempted my 

, poor Je„ny tat .iller an lau* I 
Bad luck on the pennie, U>- 

lle'a alwaya compleeoing frae inorniug to 

He bo.it an he birplet the weary day lang, 

. jut he'. duZIU. tli. I 

O ' dreiry '. the night wi ' a crazy auld man .' 

He bum. and be hanker., he fret, and be 

in p'leaa* him do a' that I can ; 
He'. pc-»..b and yetioua of a' the young f.t- 

O, dootoo the day. 1 met wi' an* auld man : 

Mr aold Ml 



7 pereon of taate moat I'll ero» b.oi. and w 









11 1 bean. 
it will boy me a new 



BURNS POEMS. 



THE BONNIE WEE THING. 

Bonnie wee thing, cannie wee thing, 

I wad wear thee in'my bosom, 
Lest mj jewel I should tine. 

Wistfully I look and languish, 



, FOR ANE AND TWENTY TAM. 

Tune-" The Moudiworl." 
n' O, for ane and twenty, Tam ! 



An' I saw ane i 



They'll 




e wed a wealthy 


Tho' 


I ray 


el hae plenty, T 


But he 


r' = t i 


ou laddie, there 



BESS AND HER SPINNING WHEEL. 



Where, blythe I turn my spinning 
On lofty aiks the cushats wail, 



J m k s n mnT d whee S l 1 



COUNTRY LASSIE. 



Tak 


this frae me, 
s plenty beet 


lh 


verl 


ft 


For 


Johnnie o' th 


e Bus 


ie-gl 


n, 


Hel 


o'es sae weel 




' 


J kye 


II 


e has nae luv 








But 


blytbe's the b 








A 


id weel I wat 






dear: 












F 


r Busk e-gleo 


and a 




jear. 


il 


oughtless lass 

.. eaimie-t _a 


e, life 
e, the 


'saf 


^a'i 



And wilfu' folk maun hae their will ; 
yne as ye brew, my maiden fair. 
Keep mind that ye maun drink the yil 

i gear will buy me rigs o' land, 
And gear will buy me sheep and kye ; 
at the tender heart o' leesome luve, 
The gowd and siller canna buy : 
We may be poor, Robie and I, 
Light is the burden luve lays on ; 



Contei 
What mair hae queens 



a throne 



FAIR ELIZA. 



Turn again, tl 
Aekindblin 
[ew on thy di 



DIAMOND CAIS1NET LiUllARY. 



1 urn again, than fair F.l.i» ; 

II 10 lo.r lb) heart deuie». 

For p.t, bide ibe cruel aciileiic 



VN ha ft* thine wed gladl, uie ! 
While Ibe life heel, .n m, bowiu 

Ibou.baltm.x u*Uk* throat 

Turn vim, ihou km 

Not the be* upon ihe blo%»oro, 
Not the lull .port i . 

rtlewl M li..''-, 

. Hi. r.pli 
Tb.t lb, p.cruc. g.r. lo ..... 

mi. POBUL 



And »' lo pu' a i-..e lu m, uo dor May. 

Ta* P i.«w i «iii p«", ib. tadhg u - ib« 

'*>■« the piak. the emblem o" m, 

r pak o' womankind, and L oom. 
. peeri 
Aau .* to be a pu. M lo a>, a. a aVer Me,. 

- '...idd.og rea* when Pbxbua peep* 

lb* b,ee,olh'e fur coniUKj Wl' ila ur.chang- 

Aad > Intel poaie la m, am dau May. 

..pure, and lb. J I, it i. f.ir, 

•Met* Imioi I'll place the III, 

• la* ..mpi.r.ij aad unaffected airt 



1h* ha.tboral ...I pu - , wi" ila lock* o* e.ller 

■ ■ *a aged man. it aland* at break 
o'da, ; 

. -.ler i r.-.t wilb.o ibe bu.b 1 

Aad a' lo be a peuc u> m, aiu dear Ma,. 

The woodbine I will pa' when tbee'ening atar 

- * mend-drape u' dew abaUl be her 

• for aioueatj which weel the fa'. 

Anil I'igjei poaie u> *>, aia dear Ma,. 



I tie ibe po* e round wi' the ailken band o 
d III place il in her breaal. and I'll Iwai 



And ibn will be a poaie lo m, « 



Till: HANKS 0* D00N. 



ii .. 



'■ " ' 



And I KM w.ar, iu'o' care! 

Ii.mi'II break in j heart lliuu warbling Mr« 

Thai waataw into' il.e ilowcr.ng iduiii i 

. J..e ■}' departed jo,., 

Depallrd oetrr lo lelurn. 

ft hae I ro.ed br bonnie Doon, 






bii a uii b .a vm in u . 

Willi. ».. ... 



a. an e'e, ibe baa but ai 
cat haatwalh. .er, col 
u.l, te«th. lorbje a .tun 



■ r r/ruux.e art 1 a ba-l.io 
Her walie me.?* like en. 
lier face wad f,l. the Logan water , 

S.e a wife aa Willi* had. 



GLOOMY DECEMBER. 
Ance mair I hailtbee, thou gloomy December, 

Sad was the parting thou makes me remember, 
Parting wi' Nancy, Oh! ne'er to meet mair. 

Fond lovers parting is sweet painful pleasure, 
Hope beaming mild on the soft parting hour j 

But the dire feeling, farewell for ever. 
Is anguish unmingled and agony pure. 



Still as I hail thee, thou gloomy Deeemb 

Still shall I hail thee wi' sorrow and c. 

For sad was the parting thou makes rr 

Parting wi' Nancy, Oh, ne'er to meet : 
EVAN BANKS. 



To Evan banks, with tem 
Home of my youth, it lea, 
Oh ! banks to me for ever 



Where Evan mingles with the Clyde. 

Whose image lives within my breast ; 
Who trembling heard my piercing sigl 



POEMS. 

Only thou, I swear and < 
Shall ever be my dearie. 

Lassie, say thou Io'es me : 



SHE'S FAIR AND FAUSE. 
She's fair and fause that causes my sin;:r 
She's broken her vow, she's broken my h 



An angel form's faun to thy share, 
'Twad been o'er meikle to gien thee ni 



AFTON WATER. 



Ye lofty banks that E 



, Flow gently, I'll sing Ihee 



Thou 



glen 






elight, _ 



Can all the wealth of Ir 
Atone for years in absec 

Swift from this desert let me part, 

And fly to meet a kindred heart I 

Nor more may aught my steps divide 

From that dear stream which flows to Clyde. 



WILT THOU BE MY DEARIE. 

' When sorrow wrings 'thy gentle heart, 
O wilt thou let me cheer thee; 
By the t 



.at's the 1 



': I charge you disturb not my slumbering fair. 
1 How lofty, sweet Afton, thy neighbonrii 
Far marked with courses of clear windi. 



How pleasant thy banks and green valley ba 

Where wild in the woodlands the primrose 

blow : 
There oft as mild evening weeps over tne te.-,, 
The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary am 

Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely i 



anli thou 





" ■*■ """ 


. Ag 


. »weel Afloo. 
. twtet rucr, 


•woog ">J 


|M 


tbe iheme of mj 


II] ttarj't a»lc*p be Ihj mc 

, .».-( .illvli 


"SSwCm 


"l- 1 


Bomrn ukll 




Tbe tmilin; iprinj com'. 

N 





DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

Ki«:i and nation., twilh im! 



I OB nil 



. : ■- H 

U. ekvaj • ftww'r aod >»rra4ia< l/r*. 
-.i. lb. lad (or me. 

ralaa, 
ma. ftn. ; 

A -.d 1 r>*d II la til. HM» 



WWW birda rejoice io Uafr boerere ; 

.-row. fttta in •immcr .bo a ere, 



VT RLCK\ I BY MILE. 



r is idbiiitoiMl for 



(i ■wwtlj .roil, on eoinebod; ! 

And wnd me nil m, 

• r ...mrU..lj * 
Ob-hn! . 

Kur ibe ease of aoui.bou) ! 



iiik LOVBL. I IM "I is ■. i 
Thatonh l»« o' in.™,,,. 

MN c.n .be M ; 
Port 'an end mora .be criae, alae I 
And ... lb. .aut far blm. btr •'« i 

i ,,.li,, 

A werfu' dej il wee Io m. ; 

i im ■) hdurdaw, 

M| r.ib.r u>«r ...J brelbreu ibree. 

hat. lb. Moody ela;, 
- wrio.inj MM 
And b; lb.01 Im ib. drarr.t ud 

. d . woman'. .'.! 
Now war to I 



■ word, lb* arrow ep»d, 
-: m; darling e bran : 

B; cruel band, Ibe tapling drop*, 
In du.t di.honoor'd laid ■ 

• - of all m. kopta. 
Ml age', fature ebade> 

Tae mother linnrt in Ibe brake. 

' ■ 
So I for me lo-l dailier; 'e eaewa 

Lxu-eni ibe liea-daj loaf. 
Death, oft I'.e fea/'d lb, falal blovr. 



BURNS POEMS. 





MAY, THY MORN. 




O May, thy m 

Hut 1 will a 
And dear. 


ere I m d e a mt2r, name ' 




Andh 

Aim b 
May 

And n 


P",= h aL 


sgude watch o'er then 

o' the quorum, 







WHAT 


YE WHA'S IN 
TOWN. 


YON 


Ve- 

The fa 

Tha 


ee the e'ening sun upon, 
rest dame's in yon town, 
e'ening sun is shining on. 




Now haply do 
She wander 

How blest ye i 
Ye catch lb. 


sn yon gay green shaw 
by- yon spreading :ree 

glauces o' her e'e. 


aw, 


Howb 

And d 
The 


we -Tut 


irds tha*. rotsnd her sin 
• in the blooming year, 




Thesu 

Dutm 
And 


n blink 

on yon 
■ deligl 


blythe on yon town, 
bonnie braes of Ayr; 

bliss is Lucy fair. 




O'p 


ut ray love, not a' the charms 

b me Lucy in my arms, 
welcome Lapland's dreary sky 




Mvca 
Tho 

And si 
Tha 


ewadr. 

raging 

I wad 


e a lover's bower, 
winter rent the air ; 
y little flower, 
tent and shelter there. 




Oswe 
Yon 

A fair 
His 


rtlla'i' 
setting 


un'sgane down upon; 
in yon town, 




If angry fate 1 
And sufferil 

But spare m 


glamdoom'dt'obear 
e, spare me, Luc'y dear 




Aet 


bile life 

e— "a = 'l 
has llle 


rae her shall ne'er dep 
airest is her form, 


'rt, 


* The heroi 
ly Miss L. J 


ne of this song, Mrs 0. 
) died lately in Lisbo 
shed and most lovely 
this beautiful strain of 


(former- 
u. This 



A RED, RED ROSE, 
ray love's like a red, red rose, 

That's newh .'.run- in June, 
my love's like the melody 
That's sweetly play'd in tune. 



'Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, 
I will love thee still, my dear. 



The v. 


nds we 


ela 


d, the 


air was st 


The 




eys 




g the sky 


Thefo 










And 


the dist 


ant 


choing giens repl 


The si 


ream ad 


Dwn 


its ha 


elly path, 






by 






Ha.ni 


fJdll 


the 


faring 


swells and 


The canld blu 


no 


thwa 


streaming 



ng this song. 
To join von river c 



•u the pale-faced Cynii 
lo, informofminslre! 
and stalwart ghaist ap 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBKAUV. 



lie «»ng wi* joj 111* I I 

II. weep,,.* « U |'d hi. latter liul 



I '. I. '.1 ADDIll ^-> 



MB \ui.i i > 



T 1.1 l»ia!niUI Muul, 

■ 


Tbo" tomtlb 


a{ like moulure cuoelute. 




mitdeeai m • ■ 


M) f.tb.r. 




':■:. 



I || Uee«{. I DIM be «t- 



beif title • ••«<• 'J bj lb' caullr;. 
«bj of that epocba «>-• 



bl ■ I ^ "-' L! 



■ 



pcrbipi : •xsrioa. 1 

may be questioned wli-ilier. emri in tiie r- 
•oureee of h » e,et.iu», a Mil of poe'rj couli 
iiatr been found north; of the grandeur ui 



truc.t were on danger, 
how tlit fuhiom may ltue>, 
Daj Idiii!; u. a bailer, 
ill-, a be.,1 of ■ LurJ, 
Ihj JUL 

.'djltlg 

Nod UM*t aUUj rmtag dim dnteMjw 

But'ou'uuihi 
• •). 
% oai ooafM to the utbxt i. bright. 

Mj inuw j.iirj OH here, and turned a conn 



i Um buuuur to bo, 

I Btr, 
Your obliged end v«j bun 



KJiaoarjA, |7H7. 



wal once a d»j. but old Tune lli.i 

,.rf..f harUai 



n. 






.. ber d. 



lee.aulj relalicoi there fixed lier foiga, 

ihi If (odbtadf <u »*/rai.i 

:. rotM |rrew 



With tillage or paalure at timet >he would 
I fur flock, bj her jr- 



TheyM 



BURNS. 

luer'd and ruin'd a world be- 



took wing from the 
as, and the dread of 
ioar issued forth 



As Largs well can witness, and Loncart: 

The Cameleon-savage disturb 'd her repose, 
With tumult, disquiet, rebellion and strife ; 
ked beyond bearing, at last she arose, 



life:§ 



l, the terror of Frai 



.e Tweed's s: 
ver flood ; 
But taught by the bright Caledonian lance, 
He learned to fear in his own native wood. 



it is'Chauce, and old Time is tl 
tledonia's the hypothenuse ; 



THE FOLLOWING POEM 






t.on of Pythagoras, the 47th of Euclid.™ I°n't 
rig-ht-angled triangle, the square of the hypo- 
thenuse is always equal to the squares of thi 



Was manaeiniz- St Stephen's quorui 
If sleekit Chatham Will was livin, 
Or glaikit Charlie got his nieve in ; 
How daddie Burke the plea was coc 
If Warren Hastings' neck was yeu 



ay, a' guid things may attend yo 
iland, Monday Moruing, 1790. 



And och ! o'er aft thy joys 
'Mid a' t 

Say, Lassie, why thv trail 
While loud the trW.,', he 



Wee Pop, 

In thy sweet san 

But thee, Theoc 
They're no herd 
Squire Pope but 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



And wi' ihe far-famed QraaUt 



an. ; a 3coiiUb caltao ! 

Tiiuu need oa youk b.hint the b.a.n. 

AchieLocle.-r; 
lb. teeth o* Iim n.ai gnaw "lami.llan, 



• 



Where 

Thy rnr»l lo' 



THE BATTLI; 01 -HI 1(11 r-Ml IR. 



" " -IT 1. h.r. lb. Bghl lo ikco 



►«Hth for wofb, 
1 b» lb. tbada, • ■ !•- c ... 

.. u'd at kingdom, inrr.. sua. 

Tne red-coat laie wi* tlatk eockadea, 

TWrj ru.b'j and pu.h'd, and bluid outfTub'd, 

TV. (inl Arr .. 1. 1. J . 

Taey haca'd and Uub'd, »L..e brcadiwoTdj 

elaab'd. 
And thro* th.y diah'd, and bcw'J and 

T.I1 fey mm d ed i.i, nun. 

But had 50a aeen lb. pbitibega. 

•irtan lr.-., nap, 
Wb« la'ihe teeth they dar'd oar whip, 

la i.nea extendi lane and large. 
When bajoacu opposed toe targe. 
And tboaaanda hxuened to the cbarg., 
Wi" Highland wrath ibey fr*e the .b-aib, 
.0' death, t.lloalo'treaib. 
They U«i like frighted deea, mau." 



lot, rur.r.1 lol ! the gatre WI abol ; 
For fear amaiat did awarf, roan. " 



Their Irfl-liand grnrrel had DM akil 
ll>- Ai.(u> lad. bad na. g.,...! will 
I iial da) th'.r Btobor'l blood lo .pill ; 
Pot f«u 1-j f •.», that th.j .buuld low 



" TheyN. lo.t eom« gallant genll.men, 
Auiang 1I1. II ghland 1 

I . Panama 1. .lain. 
Of falen „. whig* .1. hand., man ; 
Now wad ye .in* Ibi. double tighl, 

ai tag, ud tern* fur rigbl) 






-night; 



BEITOa, 

m.w KBAV1 DAT, 

TO MM DLNLO*. 

Tbia day, Tim. winda lb* exhausted chain. 

To run tha Iwel.eaionihe' l.n.-ib again 1 

I 

IV'iih ard.»i ej.., anaaplakloa .allow, 

To wh.el the equal, dull rouliue. 

The ebaerl lorer. minor h.ir, 

Deaf aa m; fritnd be mm ih.n, praaa, 



-That grandcLild'a 



.da,', prop.l.ou. to be «... in, 

-might d.li.er ; 

noth.r year ia gone for e.tr." 



* Tbia waa written about the time nor 
made hia lour to lb. Higt. ■ 

' Tbii young lady wa, 
of Coiia from lb* Vukam, aee pa;. I St. 



BURNS POEMS. 



■ . ■ . 

Must lake its hue from this alone : 
Whether as heavenly glory bright, 
Or dark as misery's woful nigr" 
i, my honoi 



Let us' 5 th'°tnif 



ends: 



■f frier 



A sight pale envy to convulse; 
Others now claim your chief regarc 
■iourself, you wan your bright rev 



To Crochallan came 
The old cock'd hat, the grey 6urlout, t 

His bristling beard just rising in its might, 
'Twas four long nights and days to shavii 

His uneomb'd grizzly locks wild-staxii 

A head for thought profound and clear, u 



POETICAL INSCRIPTION, 
AN ALTAR TO INDEPENDENCE, 

Thoa of an independent mind, 



THE DEATH OF MR RIDDEL. 



yed Spring, thy charm's I ca 



How can ye please, ye flowers, with all jour 
; Ye blow upon the sod that wraps my 

That strain pours round th' untimely tomb 

Ana "soothe "the ViVtueT weeing* 'on "his 

The Man of Worth, and has not left his 

Is in his"' narrow house* for ever darkly low. 

Thee, Spring, again with joy shall others 

Me, rnem'ry of my loss will only meet. 



A LADY FAMED FOR HER CAPRICE. 

How cold is that bosom which folly once tired. 

lately glisten'd: 
How silent that tongue which the echoes oft 

How dull is that ear which to flattery so 



So shy, grave, and distant, ye s 

But come* all ye offspring of folly sc 






DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



Well March through the r»ri!en for each tillf 
I through ibe forett for web idle 



:2rs?s: 



Wul oulj ol goodne 



approacb'd her but 
arbte, or '11 m 



M«4| g.J ■» B 



NSWER TO \ 

If T«I itUVBVOH or THE V 



t eaandale d. 






And j mx uild boeuur I 

I., daji wbro riding >u qm eri». : 

M] fur-a-h,n., a guid, grcj bearf, 

A. e'er .« lug or to. -. 

lb. focrb.a UigbUr.: D 

m. ofcowieatoe wa.e, 

Aubtk tpared lo b« a beajt. 

■ .a- hfteeo puttd at lnat. 



>, and 1-a are feeble new. 



* The fore-hoeee on ibe left-band, in the 



1 rule them. a. I ought, i 

And often labour them completely , 

I on the uunlion. lairge them lijcfai 1 . . 

fTho' .carc.l. langer than in, lag; 

lleVl i ciM d )ou all etlcctu.ll calling, 
A. fait aa out in the d wailing. 



Knuugh of ought je like ka 
Hut her, mi Ulllll,, n*ee- .. 

:U fur her already. 
And .fjn.i l.er or her m.iher, 
U] the L_d j. ►. get them a' Ibegitbrr 

And now, remember, Mr A ken. 
Na.k.odcrf ItMM I'm i>....'. 

fur III. I'll paldlt, 



T.e . 



" paj I* 



ROBERT BL UN 



:thinth.glen,«bu.hT, O. 
xm the plain mt • 
M me do..., wi* right go«d will, 
.iug rojr Highland la».ie, O. 



| Gentle i* aaed here in opposition ti 
ile, in the Beotluh and old Kagliah ■ 
be word. l\*e genii* daau» No 



BURNS — POEMS. 



AHho' thro' foreign climes 1 range, 

For Ler bosom burns with honour's g] 
Mv faithful Highland lassie, O. 
Williiu the glen, Sec. 

For her I'll dare the billow's roar, 
For her I'll trace a distant shore, 
That Indian wealth uia) lustre thro.*, 
Around my Highland lassie, O, 
Withm the glen, &c. 

She has my heart, she has my hand. 



Within the glen, &c. 
Farewell (he glen sae bushy, O, 



IMPROMPTU, 



h November, 17SS. 



My cheerless suns no pleasu 

My dismal months nojoy» i 
But spleeny English hangii 






ADDRESS TO A LADY. 



Oh wert 
M, plan 



if thou wert there. 



TO A YOUNG LADY, 



Thine be the volumes, Jessy fair. 



Sing on, sweet thrush, upon the leaflet 
bough, 

See aged VV niter 'ui.d his surly re gn, 
So in lone poverty's dominion drear, 



Noi asks it they bring aught to hope or fear. 



Riches denied, thy boon was purer, 
What wealth could never give nor Ink! 

lal Tie' h"?gh C hea d ve°n f Z"ol^ S 



On refusing to dine with him, afler havin 
been promised 'the hrsl of Company, and in 
farsc of cookery, 17th December, 1795. 

No more of your guests, be they tilled or not, 






l>U\;o.\D CABINS! lihkaky. 
TO UU S-E, 



Jnu.iifui Tfenn, Duiurnr*. 

TUB DI MFRU B »OLl IfTBl U. 

2mb_'< Pu,U about the Jut i.u. " 
April, IfM, 

P.-i hiurhtj Osaj taraaioa thrr.i > 

bta loou. b»»«f«. .,r. 
ITi. N.ili .1.. 



Altau rJniiib anan U rubied. 



ikfafci 

katlla bought. 



Tt- wre'ch that wad 



Shall BU{ u u,»h". 

-« Mag •• twi »».. 
\v c 'J M 'er forget the paoptc 



1DUIIUU) T<> m,i„sh, S| pk\» 

Mt honoured colonel, deep I feel 

Ati! how .ma' he*. I ha- I 

Surrounded Ihu, ly bolu. pill, 

Andpo^ongla-ea. 

O ■bit > e»oiT world were it. 



. »ouid »lar>e ?, 
» A hi E h hill at the aoorce of the Kith. 

- a inounia-u ai the euvutii of Dame life, ibo* f-ct'oa out maj trick her. 
, Ai,u iu pule gc.» and bipj - 



^re at ,t, ,.,|p, u - ! j, r and r «l. 

In uij, poor Boaohaa. 

I, modeitlj. fu' fain wad hint it. 

And while mj heart ■■• I. le. blood llunle 



I III IT. 

Va'tr* hr,rJ IkJa while how I'vabMol.cl 
• .d bl tell death wa. nearl, n.ckru 

i.u loou ! ba . 



Hut. Li guid Iu 



... kn, 



tlth, l'ie got a .harr „',, 
klj bale and weal I'll tall' a* car. o't, ' 
Then farewaal foil., hidr aud bail o'l, 

SKST TO A UaHTICMAN WHOM HE ] 

The friend whom wild from wiadom'a w«, 
Who Lot deplore, that baplo friend ? 



i N I.ll i . 



Oh ! flickering, feeble, and nn 

I've found h< 

Aye wavering like the willow 



Syne, whip '. his tail ye'il ne'er ca 



Ah Nick ! ah Nick, it 
Bright wines°aad bon: 



Thy auiddamu'd elbow yeuk 
Already in thy fancy's eye, 



The Lord preserve i 



ADDRESS TO THE TOOTH-ACHE. 

My curse upon your venom'd stang. 



When fevers burn, or ague freezes, 
Rheumatics gnaw, or colic squeezes ; 
Our neighbour's sympathy may ease us 

Bat thee-thoa h^'^l^SeT '' 
AyemMfcTuTgroan 



POEMS. II 

anked plagues their numbers tell, 
Indreadfu'raw, 
Thou, Tooth-ache, surely bear'st the bell, 
Amang them a' '. 

thou grim mischief-making chiel, 
Vhat gars the notes o' discord sqneel, 
'Till daft mankind aft dance a reel 

Iu gore a shoe- thick; 
Gie a' the faes o' Scotland's weel 

A towmond's Tooth-Ache. 

SONG. 
Time— "Morag." 



SONG. 
le parting kiss 



Sweetly blythe 

le will think on 
Fondly he'll re 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



SONG. 

>'.' Peggj .wortb. ■] I 

'''«»'• ™K«< »"■ 
Iter face .oirul), bexenlj fair, 

BJ art. 
But I adore pit Pcjsj'. heart. 

Th. Iil,\ I 



munsM in a vrRApraa, 

. LBX4X?. 

n— " 

lafo, 

1. W So»lA. or .. be H 
l(i>. UMt ago, 

Ur drowncj .1. th» n.rr Fuctb ' 



a».<U«o. 



Igo, ud ago. 

If U, WW, d. 

So maj je get in fin) po 
Tb« euini o' Mu', eon 



ROBERT GRAHAM, E*q. OF FIXiRY. 
0!« KXCXIVI.NO A 7AV0UK. 

Kf.r,»l ofm, 1Mb! m» ardeut.piriltiu....,' 

r'or Umjii. tecurded, goodo- 

I ur |in ,1,,. imtm u ibe gi>cr jm. 

Thou orb of daj ! Iboa olber paler light : 
And ill )« Ml) .pirklmg HSN of night ! 
If augbt that gi.er fium in; tuiiiil ■ 
If I ihal f.m'i bouulj e'er diagm-e ; 



I !. b • image Llr.l ; 
.r f,„i,.j „f man. Ibr friend of irulb. 
I« friend of age, Miid guide of )oulb : 
■- bortl Ukl b». miiu <irlu. »..r„iM, 
•w bead. with knowledge *o iaforn'd i 

there b Boat, be mad* ibe bat of Ikta. 



• QEAi I ii I DU DtmU B. 

O Tboa. who kiodJj doei proelUo 

. restore', waul! 
We 1.1c.. (bee, God of nature wide. 
Vm a.l lb; goodness lent , 

Arid if it pleas* Ihee, bes.enlj guide. 

But whether grsnied or 



>IR5 DUXLOP. OP DUX LOP. 

O.N IE.NBIBILITV. 

Seniibililj bow cbarmiof , 

Ibou, mjr friend, canst trulr tell ; 

But di.tress, with horror, uruj.-c, 
fboo but also koowu loo well ! 

Fairest flower, behold the lilt. 



BURXS.— POEMS. 



To each pirate of t'hi 

Dearly bought the hide 
Finer feelings can b 

Chords that vibrate sw 
Thrill the deepest nc 



eath's dork stream I ferry o' 

■n itself, I'll ask noTo^re, 
just a Highland welcome. 



CORRESPONDENCE 



MR GEORGE THOMSON, 



CORRESPONDENCE, &c. 



No. I. 

MR THOMSON TO MS BURNS. 

SIR, Edinburgh, September, 1792. 

For some years past, I have, with a friend or 
two, employed many leisure hours in selecting 

a) melodies for publication. We have engaged 
put accompaniments to these, and also to corn- 
both public and private. To render this 



mined bj Mr Eurns, and if he is of opinion 
i Relying on the leiter accompanying this, ;o 



MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



poetry improved, wnereier it seems unwunny 


SIR, Dumfries, I6lh September, 1792. 
















enter into your undertaking with all the small 








most exertion by the impulse of enthusiasm. 




(July, don't hurry me: •' Deil tak the hind- 


cate, as cannot be sung in decent company. 


most 3 ' is by no means the cri de euerre of my 


To remove this reproach, would be an easy 


muse. Will you, as I am inferior to none of 


task to the author of The Cotter's Saturday 


you in enthusiastic attachment to the poetry 


Jiight ; and, for the honour of Caledonia, I 


and music of old Caledonia, and since yon re- 


would fain hope he may be induced to take up 


quest it, have cheerfully promised my mito of 




assistance— will you let me have the list of 


the public with a collection infinitely more 


your airs, with the first line of the printed. 


interesting than any that has yet appeared, 


verses you intend for tbem, that I may have an 


and acceptable to all persons of taste, whether 


opportunity of suggesting any alteration that 


they wish for correct melodies, delicate ac- 


may occur to me. You know 'tis in the way 


companiments, or characteristic verses — We 


of my trade ; still leaving you, gentlemen, the 


will esteem your poetical assistance a particu- 


undoubted right of publishers, to approve, or 




reject, at your pleasure, for vour own publica- 


you shall please to demand for it. Profit is 


tion. Apropos, if you are for English verses. 


quite a secondary consideration with us, and 






Whether in the simplicity of the ballad, or the 


pense on the publication. Tell me frankly 


pathus of the song, I can only hope to please 






to the particular melodies, which 1 am pre- 




larly the works" of Scotsmen, that have merit, 


pared to send you. A few songs, exception- 


are certainly very eligible. -Tweedside;' -Ah I 




the poor Shepherd's mournful fate;' "Ah! 


wise submit to your consideration : leaving it 




to you, either to mend these or make new 


mend ; but such insipid stuft' as ' To Fanny 


songs in their stead. It is superfluous to os- 


fair, could I impart,' &c. usually set to -The 




Mill Mill 0,' is a disgrace to the collections in 


anyofihe sterling old songs ; those only will 


which it has already appeared, and would 


be removed which appear quite silly, or abso- 


doubly disgrace a collection that wi'l have the 



DIAJdOrTD CAI1IM I LiBOARY. 



lof nuril of joOT«. But more of ibii in 
*Lcrc i iu^»rit', ai i.aat, iMafc thai 1 



„f ii,. wan that 1 



:.».!.(•. 10 talk, of niuii.l 

I", bir» f \c. would b. downnrbl pi 



'''" ,1 '{"^."m,', ,our rrr, bumbl, . 



No. IIL 

' U 111 HNS. 



t t, lUAOcfaarr, 17VJ. 

I UCb MltrfactioCl, Jet 



of our coup.. iJir writer* Lave confounded 
»iuipliciijr »nb nn i t — II and vulrariij j 
although, bctwran ib< one and itae other, aa 
l>r Heallie well ot,..r>.«. there » «. (Treat • dif- 
f.renea u bciHrrn a plant nil of clotbe. and a 
I undle of rac.. I hr buromou. ballad, or pa- 

u.rlodiea; and more ImalllMJ indeed in all 

•oof* than ihc nioal pointed wit, uajiliup, 

.id U..«rr, lancica. 

\Niili th... true ubwriiiiKiii, I tend jou 

ele.cn of lb. -on*., for which il I. mj wuh lo 

. of jour writing. 1 tballiooti 

Iranian lb. Mat, aud al lb. uiai limr, a pro- 

. ■■•! juu may 

•o kiod aa lo k -i>. for ituptui iu,- ika work, wuh 



Ma, iv. 

VII 111 RNfl TO Ml! i 



.' i ,. and balUda. lo«l. Iln 
,our emir .in. ar. ju.l | lb. Map jou .peril 

■ark in lb. to ; but v. bo .hall tnend (ha nu. 
I .. op and MJ-Oolo, I ITl 

■...». a Utter » re \mmmam, »« r.adn.r o.< 
• I... Laa-rtf,' l 



• baaftag clm$, m) f,, 

■ 

Mj %.u kuid draii. U. 
In mirkeal (tiro al audi 

■ ..- lo tha*. 
-''t Ha mid,* 






BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 257 

ing of ardent passion, and though it might 



■:.■■■■. 

,=mment and style of ou 



nay 
Ml? 


up^nmy'hor 




e. For thi 
r this reasoi 


Rhme? 




f opinion f> 


t as I 

fre.lv 


told you be 


fore, m 




., as you plea 




my ballad o 




O't 


light perhaps 






"'head 




s™ i r ha U v'e d r 


n""„ y , 




^mifda 












bhip 






o be pleased 


r offend 



h the = 



or half, a 



d copy 01 



ssidnity. 



name of the river is horridly prosaic. 

"Behind yon hill where Lugar floy 

Girvan is the name of the river that 
idea of the stanza best, but Lugar is 
agreeable modulation of syllables. 



is I find I have 
,rning before ,ny 
11 give you "Nat, 



.ength. (bee p 
bughls, Marion, ' 



then 



mplici 



ty of wines, 
Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary, 

Will ye go the Indies, my Mary, 
Across th' Atlantic's roar? 

sweet grows the lime and the oran 



I hae sworn by the Heavens to my Mar 
1 hae sworn by the Heavens to be tru 
And sae may the Heavens forget me, 

O plight me your faith, my Mary, 

And plight me your lily-white hand: 
O plight me your faith, my Mary, 



We hae plighted our troth, my Mary, 



The hour and the mom< 



with you in the furthers 



In my very early years, when I was thinking 
of going to the West lnd.es, 1 took the follow- 
ing farewell of a dear girl. It i, qu te inllini. 










No 


V. 






MR BURNS TO 


MR THOMSON. 








Novem 


erSth, 1792. 


If 


yon n 


ean.mydear 


be' poet 


all the song, 
y of the hrst 


™ e 


■ii"l° 


am afraid you 
ertaking than 
larrhytbmus 


you are a 
in many 


more difficulty 
ware of. There 






y of adapting 


syllables 




\h 


tm.e 




all the fe 


ad1a, n h,mu."f 




aim' 




e diffi'cu 












be 


adapt 


fa few lines, 


uTuca" 


nd pretty, can 
expect. The 


fo 










th 


iii", 


on farther s 




ight give you 


ra 


- 


s* 


»f the air 


* Tin 


song Mr Tho 


mson has 


not adopted in 


hi 


colie 


ction. It de 


erves, h 


owever, to be 



. A MM 1 LIUUAUY. 






Th» narld\ «i 
'In. anJlt ■ 



Ai %hm f 



I . 

lb. • 
Tboaa, 






TV. IW,! L« cooiJ ... . I 



1 ba«e hitbmo defcrrrf ih- ullimrr, mor« 
. . ii*:tcr to dubuuour. Karcwt.l, 



MR BUBH8 in MB THOMSON. 

in. .111 \si> MAin. 
Tarn—" k.ditrin. Oft*.' 

(;..-„ b, )oai »ood*. ud hui yur lion 



lutf inrrlli bloom 'd III- r»>. r"*H »' 

,', ! 

VYu roj >«Ml lli k blaud .M«/j. 

II L.lrr ! 
' -,( aia, 



l> paW, p. I. now, tboaa roaj lip., 

. ..•'. ibr mrkllof (Uat>, 

- -.»jl, I 
Staail 1... m] II.,. bland .Mu,. 



>vdu«iii, Ittltatr, 

I «t« oilh joj. that ih. ■((, ■ I 

.-.. p.«r ^ufl. and u. ,«..,, lh, . aHo- 
frtb* BBWanbjf <-r »o braul ful an »ir. I 

bat ,i niu lb. .ir. 1 

MM of lb. WU* .nl. r.. lint paa- 
»fM of in,i joulbful Cij.i aud I o»n ibat I 

. 
Ivan a.r. »lml, »oolo I 
I. ip. alti-r ail. V. lb. il-il gloMinf prrjudicv 



»h.cb prom',.«''pT.'tli -eir^l'laka" 

■a ih. Im of ib' Biau 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



No. VII. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
UE SIR, Edinburgh, A" 



93. 



., ihai 



nding the chari 
u wish her 



I than 



1*11 think my lot divin, 
Tho' warld's care we s 
Wi' her I'll bljthely b< 



of any poem 



pleasing ; 



air shall, in the first place, have verses wholly 
by Scottish poets ; and that those of English 
writers shall follow as additional songs, for 
the choice of the singer. 
What you say of the «Ewe-bughts' is just ; I 



If I si 



night lead you to improve them. The wre, 

I remain yours, faithfully, &e. 
P. S. Your verses upon ' Highland Mary' 



■■' J u = 






:try, a 



air, with the delicate harmony of Pleyel 
radded, might form a treat worthy of 
g presented to Apollo himself. I have 



No. YIIL 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



Dumfries, 1st Decn 
Your alterations of my -Nannie C 
ight. So are those of ' My wi 



Sir, with the freedom which char 
lie Lesley. ' You are right, tl 



of Caledon 




; 










it Hudibra. 














Of the o 




g, • My wife 








wee thing, 


I think 


the firs 












I do not 




iL~'..il, 




igl, 






if them 










' the 




Ihav 


























following ; 


do you 


tnend I 




V 


jric. 


did 



Thi 


she is.) 


my opinio. 


more 


poe 














rrial: > 










I agre* 


vithyou.i 








.dbe wi 


hed, Ihoug 






three 


r four it 


TTa'L 


ort, tl 


Rai 


Stan* 


is h the P 


most diffic 


t I 


tried. 










The 


•Lea.r 


h > is as fo 




(V 


s .;« 


Thorns 
ther. 


nhasdeci. 


edon 


«Ne 



DIAMOND CABINET LIIIRARY. 
■a lh» two 6rat atantaa aa bcfon), p. I Los 



■ -.• «tanra« • 



N I\. 

>ir ui i-.N- ro ra in 

rot K i»»lJ-* 
Tbcra'aauld lUb Mocr. 0bsl MM bj jon 
II. . .b- Ua| »' Juid r.llowi and walao auld 
•rr.. b' ba. owa#n tad 
An! M Un'u.r IMMN b . darl n C rnd M) 
. u lb. •xxainc. >: 
.. lb. ...oi»j .m.nr lb* n.w 

Aad d.*r lo a; b.art aa lb. l.fbt lo o.j .V 
Bwt Ob! aWa .. kMK "Id Robls*. I 



J a. Went and unco ► kcijrh, 

«xjr Duncan •land al.rij.-h ; 

lln. ba, lW»uo.uj u ' 

in llccch'd. and Duncan pn 

M'; »■> dr. I a. Ailwcralg.t 

< i "aT". M bsilb b Icrr 't and Mil 
Spako'luwpinvVr * Imu ; 
IU. ba, Vc. 

II.. I.i. if. 
ir;btad lorr >• Mil u bid*. 
Ha, 1 • 

shaii i. iik* • a 



.-h im brli 
Dbmh ... alado'j.ai 



Tb. day act 
TW akk] cc 



1 i..\ rht bf.nja ma 



al i. HAY. 

Deltas Cray ems bcrs to arm, 

I 
Ob bijlk* jsl« ajtbt wh.o »« were 

Ha, 
Maggie. ~»»« -" ■*»« f -' »•«»• 









H., ba. 0M. 

.. ba. (b'a wooing o'l. J 
4M 



: in jour «.flii. Pi— in 

' lighl.bora* c.llop of rs 

f wh.rb prx-ludn Mudmcul. I u, lldlnill 
IU runof fcalura. 



MR BUBN-> 

SONG. 

Tto— "I had a bora*." 

ih raald and rra'lraa lot*. 



> poortiih raald and rmUas lofi 



O wb ? abosld fait air pUaaurt ban. 



♦ A wcU-kno.ni fork in ibe U 

common with ibe old 
lieratioua baliad of Duncan Cray, bat the tr.t 

1 i.c and part of ibe Ui.rd. TbVrnt i* wbo.lj 



%^f$ 




RURNS. -CORRESPONDENCE. 



This wi 
Ifsp 

Fie, fie 
That 


rld's we: 
"o-sfflj 


1th when I 
l* the iave o 

he the slave 
why, 4tc 


Her een 


sae bonn 


ie bine betrs 


How 

But pru 


be repay 


smy^passio. 

nk and fashi 
why, 4:0. 


O wba 
Ands 


MS 


nee think up 
e by him ? 



How blest the humble cotta 

He wooes his simple dea: 

The silly bogles wealth an, 



GALLA WATER. 



The bonnie lad o' Galla Water. 

Altho' his daddie was nae laird. 
And tho' I hae na meikle tocher : 

Yet rich in kindness, truest love, 
We'll tent our flocks by Galla Wat< 

ilth, it ne'er was weal 

'utual love, 



No. XI. 

MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
Edinburgh, Jaiiuai-y, 20(A, 1793. 



flight them, and to honour yourself. 
The four last songs with which you favoured 
e, for 'Auld Rob Morris, Duncan Gray, 
Galla Water,' and ' Cauld Kail,' are aciii. ra- 



eeling, and powerfully touch the heart. 

The number of songs which I had originally 
n view was limited, but I now resolve to in. 
lude everv Scotch air and song worth sing- 
ng ; leaving none behind but meie gleanings, 
o which the publishers of omnegatherum are 

ollection from which nothing could be taken 
way, than of one to which nothing could be 
.dded. We intend presenting the subscribers 
vith two beautiful stroke engravings; the one 



That ooft con 
The bands and bliss o' 
O that's the chiefest 



January, 1793. 
Many returns of the season to yon, my dea 

In short, I would wish to give you my opinio 



•The wild-wood Ii 



enameofih 


her., : 


e of each 


song, and the 


cident which 








gratifying. 


Pray , 


will you 




formation of this sor 








, as the 


'old ones 




To all the fa 




ong» uf . 






"ill be 


joined tl 








f Pleyel. 














cely nee 


es^ary , lh-y are chieily 


ted for the o< 








d a tuneful 






3 er delivery of 






emSrfe 


t. Neverthe- 








ssaccompani- 






hey are fi 


ted either for 


,gi„g,orfor 








ere happens 




singer. 




oy our right 




riend Mr 


Clarke lo set 
res me he will 










n than he 


ver be 


towed on 


any thing of 



at attempt to find mo 
ic b»rd Peter 



DIAMOND CABINET LIDUAUY. 

irlv • The Sow'i tall to Oeordie, 



cd I know not 
writing for lb. tin I K m to him, broau.r of 
the peculiarity of lllrir inra.ur-. and the tram- 
mrl. they impoM on lii> Hying Per*»ua. I 
•ilbjoin for joor peru.al the only one 1 ban 

.1 Ma, baiaf fca ibi la* air ■ Lord 

n r.e. pt.nt.-d with that 

air, arc t.krn-from the middle of an old ballad, 

■ I f 1 . .' «h,.-b I do 

n. a creditor of jour.. Maai of lb* Jaobne 

I loll ;rd iu our volume 
of conic tonga 1 



II :tllM. 
I it m mi HON. L i BSKOTB. 

Mr Thomvon haa been .o oblirin*. H to giv. 
D» a peeu.alofy.iu. 

. I • Dui.cat 



t obliging t|i*pa*ih*lna \uu kinily Dfo- 



• ■><«». . I 



i ret any trot, per- 



MB BUBNfl i" '.lit iimm-un. 

961k January, 1793. 
1 appro* rr.Mli, tnv deir ilr. of jour plana. 

■ It*..., 
On my part, I m.in lo dnw up an appeo 

, . i.r'i anecdote. I bare by me, liken 
Co»n in the toorie pf mj acquaintance wi L 

lliaiiaat, that ia lb* coarae of ray ae.eral pel 

- [land, I made a pilgrii 

•••.ich every 

aoiir took itt ri.*. ' Loebaber. ' and the ' Brae. 

of Ballenden,' excepted. So far u the " 

- 'r^ra the title of the air, or ibe 

of the ton-, could be aaceriained, 1 bare paid 

., it toe particular ahrine of every 

I do not doubt bol joo might make a very 

-iection of Jacob le *on-« — bui 

«rsald it give no offence » In the meantime, 



I irll • The S.i«'i tail lo (.enrdie,' aa an air, 
Willi other word., might be well worth a pluce 

li it were possible lo procure aong* of merit, 
it would be prop.r lo have one aet of BOOM 

IO whieh the note* ought lo be Ml. Ill- I- I. 

i«niiixiur. of Scot. word, and phraaeolugy, 
winch i. mute in uniwn (at lea.l to my la.te, 
and I will add, lo every genuine t 
latta), villi the llnpla palhoa, or ruatk 

aaoa of Peter Pindar, ia on «c- 
aalallioo to your work. Ilia •Gregory' ia 



Not Hi 



implioilj hi It! 



,i,l i..- prttumn. 

h ISM nrlat 

or. of ibe ballad 



LOBD t.iti BOB*/, 

,irk i. thi. midnight hour, 



Loid (irrgorj op* thy d 

barfttbart 

. ..ing IBM ; 

l-ord liter. , , 

Where 'ur.t lown'dl'ba'l 



» The aong of Ur Walcoll oo Ih 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



My most respectful corn} 
nourable gentleman who f; 
po=l„cript in jour last. I 
lue and his MSS. soon. 



No. XIII. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

20th March, 1783. 
MARY MORISON. 
Tune— «« Bide ye yet." 

it i7t'he wish'TAhTtrJs'te.d hour; 
Those smiles and elances let me see, 

That make the miser's treasure poor; 
How blj thely wad I bide the stoure, 

A weary slave frae sun 10 sun; 
Could 1 the rich reward secure, 

The lovely Mary Morison. 



The dance go 
To thee mv fan 



to the tremblini 



O Mary, canst thou wreck his peace, 

Wha for thy sake wad gladly oie ! 

Or canst thou break that heart of his, 

A thought ungentle canna be 
The thought o' Maij Morison. 



Think of the ring by yond 



subject, w"hich is d< 



No. XIV. 

MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

March, 1793. 

WANDERING WILLIE. 

s awa, there awa, wandering Willie, 

ow tired with wandering, baud awa hame, 

ad tell me thou bring'st me my Willie the 



It was 


nae ihe 


bias 


brought the 


fow we 


come t 


hes 


mmer, and 


The sir 


trner to 


Datu 


re, my Will 


f e hurri 


anes r 


estir 


the cave o' 


Ohow 


ft my 


ldh 


»w gently ,e 


utifhe 
still 


ft 


ten his faithfulles 
tweeu us, thou v 



No. XV. 

MR BURINS TO MR THOMSON. 

OPEN THE DOOR TO ME, OH ! 



s frae thee, Oh. 



False friends, false lov 
I'll ne'er trouble then 



i;t DIA1I0BD CABHfBT LIIIUAUY. 

m'd (he door, ahe hat openM 

a .1. ror.<. on th. plain. Oh: 

... crirJ, and .ana dowu tj 



I do not know whether tbit aoag b* re* 

Bo. \U. 

MR BURN-* TO •■■II rBOMSON. 

,i M1& 

T>Mi " Boun.. Ihlndee. •• 

Tru* h-irlrU waa be, lb. 11J •»•..! o" I 

And Mr in lu« aaaidt on lb* I «i.li o' I 

■ ih- Nith . windii 
Ar. letHi » faithful, uxl nMni «. Mr i 

J alloi.r; 

■bait. 






pradoetiootof ynvrnsMi \»nr UvvUrtgnrri 

IVI .V u.au"ful''-,.'n,. ,,! Y.'.u'r •"li'.r. A«'a 
Willi*' iiui.t nndargo ««nt alteration! to <un 
th. «ir. .Mr BnklM and I bin Urn Maura* 
,r ..vr: b* will aagfatf what it nKWllj lo 



• w \mu.ui\i; WU.U& 



aws 


bnuj'.l m. mr 


w 


r lntar.erlaaa bin loud andcauld 


la 


For, lor my 


Willi* brought tr 


in 




• imiu.r. and «r 




„t, ». »ild.l..rm., inlhcrovo' 


)OU 



nod waft uij d*«f lajdl* 



Hut ob. if b.'. f.ilhlrt. *nd mind. n. 
How »lill l»H"« u«. il.uu dark-hea 



£di« 



for poel, will hit Mm] jorffintit, *d p'-d 
■JumiotWi >.nd r'/ttrd otb»r». 
lb.laaledil.oa .... lollow.:- 

Hat* awa. iktn aw*, w.r.d^rinf Will!., 
i: .*, Ibtrtaw*, baud \% 

•'/mV'ra^W.II.Vl'.'e.ar.*, 



atari* eompl.i, 
h*.e put do. 

I propove fir'inf in tddilii 

rent*. ir*n;oib<Toeesnto 

lb. chtractrr of Ibr air*. 

U l i uim upon ritTj thing eUc relaiiug I 



>. mj Willi* to nr. 
io the c»»e of jour I luoi 



B drttd howl 
the W.k.n j- br-eiea. ro 
> aft mj dear L 



lafrij t*aj me a rati • 

M-uU added to them. 1 w..b jou were bef*. But ofc, if 

■ 
■ 



2mpbo„.e», a 
e icrvnpiui 

I »m rtrj much pleated 



tbej axe indeed bejond 

the terenl but importance io 



irre that »« W.llV. my ML 
! Sereral of tht alteration wem to be o' life 



The gentleman I li 
pleased bolh with the 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 

Sae wistfully she gaz 



No. xvltl 

MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

WHEN WILD WAR'S DEADLY BL*. ST 

WAS ELAWN. 

Air—" The Mill, MillO." 



iible knapsack a 'my wealth 
ight heart was in my breast, 



I thought upon the banks o' Cc 
I thought upon my Nancy, 

I thoueht upon the witching sn 
That caught my youthful fan 



O! happy, happy may he be, 
That's dearest to tby bosom 

My purse is light, I've far to ; 
And fain wad be thy lodger 

I've served my king and coun 



'or gold the merchant ploughs 
The farmer ploughs the man 

iut glory is the sodger's prize. 
The sodger's wealth is bonoi 

'he brave poor sodger ne 'er de 



MEG 0' THE MILL. 






it Meg o' 



is gotte 



The Mill 



epithet for the sea, dark-h 
by Mr Erskine, is in itself i 
well perhaps as more sul 



element not so well adapted to the ideas of eter- 
nal separation, which the fair mourner is sup- 
posed to imprecate. From the original song 
of Here awa Willie,' Burns has borrowed 
nothing but the second line and part of the 

jioero will, it is hoped, justify the different 
editions of it vihic)i we have given. 



the barley Miller. 

pin', the Miller 

A heartlike' a lord and a hue like a lady -, 
The laird was a widdiefu', bleer-ee't knur 
She's left the guid fello.v and taen the chi 

The Miller he hecht her a heart leal and 

The Laird' did address her wi' matter 



ip by her 



'he siller, 

n the love that's 



ie prev 



"'";., 



No. XIX. 

MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

'tk April, 1793. 
Thank you, my dear sir, for >our packet 



Y--XI cannot imagine tow much ihit bu.ineaa 
of compoing for jour publlcanon ha. added 10 
«"J enjoyment., \\h«l with mi early attach- 
ment total ad.. J.urlook. if. ballad-making 

I 

• ij ml I aeaa io the limn of mjr 
grant ihel I may lair the right 

. on itoWoaaH folia with «h™i 
hue 1»™ happy, I (hall »ay, 
rnrrry a. we a* bar been,* and railing my laat 

lb. mj I... 

lafBJ a* they 

kayc occurred al random on looking, o,er jvur 

4.1 I. ma I rameo'erlbe 
.Md» of R.m.>, ! II- ».n- .. uuwurlby of 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

ing bay, bareheaded, on lb< 
uUrryrd to Allan, ibal it * 
fur.. one. R.m.aylook, 






I. „ 



I 












ii, of HoLrtiend, i 
.. Eail of Loudon, I 



* call* bimaelf (be • Voice or 
iai.cn of Mu, »bo deoomi- 
at • \'i»ct of Con a. * • Sea merry 



Idlwafinaibciiie 
hinl. and Una 



• One day I heard Mary t«J,' it a fine eonf ; 
but for cuu.i.irucy'. aake, alter tbe name 
tVu there e.er 1Mb banna pun- 
ished, u a purpoae of marriage between 'AJo- 
tii. and .Mary?' 1 agree with you that my 
i care on every band,' 
i. iiiu.h raptrior 10 • Puurlilh cauld.' 'I l.e 
original eoog ' I he niill, mill t), ' though rl- 

aibU| '.nil Hike the title, and think 'a Scolti.'. 

- Dea' ia, 
. .rally Lai.gulee lu . 

. ■all enough, but baa mmt fal.e 

" And • wcelly the nightingale tanf from (l.e 



n.agery i. elwai. c I 
I hit on another .lania euual 
to 'Ibe.,, 






I 



,',.'ral other., ark . 
meal, are well worth, of preaer- 



. until I 

rot it taken down from a counliy girl', .ngin.-. 

It ,. called ■ Cra.g.eburn Mood ,» and la tbe 

. ■ an of our .weete.l 

> k ,uit. an entbueia* 

I would take bla H 

li.h rou,i: agaitut the laele of mo.1 connoia- 

la right in in»erlir.g the laat tat 

I ba»e loat mj lore,' ia io me > 
— what would jou tbink of a aei of 



mended copy In 

un« to it, aiia lei tbe In.h yer 



flh.aong. ere, 
ail; oat to W 



altered elate. It <Joe, 



BURNS.— CORRESPONDENCE. 



• VwerikFh diwf 


» are all pretty, but 
Yours, &c. 


his | 


Let me know just h 


ow you like these rand 


om 


No 


XX. 




MR THOMSON 


TO MR BURNS. 




Edinburgh, April, 1793 
I rejoice to find, my dear sir, that ball 
making continues to be your hobby hoi 

and " witch the world with your horseui 


*\ 


« My Pati! is a lover 

equal, is a natural an 
1 humbly think we n 
ter it except the last s 


good many lively so 

d very pleasing snng, 
ght not to displace or 


'gs 


No. 


XXI. 




MS BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 




I have yours, my dear sir, this moment, 
shall answer it and your former letter, in 

at the beginning what tiddlers call a star 
iiote. is often a rub to us poor rhymers. 


I 
ap. 


••There's braw.br 
That wander thro' 


the blooming heather 


??' 


You may alter to 






" Braw, braw lad 
Ve wander," &c. 


on Yarrow braes. 




bySfrTrf tine, Ten 


irely approve of. and 


ded 


•• Yestreen I go 

A place where 

Yestreen lay on 


b^law a?. 6 ' 




It is highly chara 
the strain of senlii 
with the air, to whic 


(eristic of our Bard, 
em does not eorresp 
n he proposes it shoul 


V; 


* The original lett 
lams many observati 


er from Mr Thomson c 

is desire, are suppres 
of Mr Burns refers to 


I 1 


j The reader has a 


read} seen that Burns 


did 






!, ynu r 



,mplet, 






which is the very essence of a ballad, I 

eature you are a little apt to sacrifice to 
bregoing. 

j s equally happy in his piece's ; still I can- 

>r as Mr W. proposes doing with ' The 
'-r the Moor.' Let a poet, if he 






■ks of the poor bard w 
seLby He'aven 6 ! twoul 






spoiling the whole. One stanza in -The Lass 
o Pa ie's Mill.' must be left out ; the song 
will be nothing worse for it. I am not sure if 

stanza and be the better for it. • Cauld Kail 



Love. ' At any rate, my other song, ' Green 
grow the rashes,' will never suit. That song 

to the merry old tune of that name ; which of 
course would mar the progress of your song to 
celebrity. Your book will be the standard of 
Scots songs for the future ; let this idea ever 
keep your judgment on the alarm. 

country to suit • Bonnie Dundee, ' 1 send y ou 
also a ballad to the • Mill, mill 0. 't 



istly ; but your learned Ivgs 
; displeased with the very fe: 

ronounce them silly. Do you 



not finally adopt all o 



DIAMOND i tBIlfl l 1 ihk\i;\. 
»nJ lo Johotun' • I 



B rHOMSOK. 



\ win. 
MB mOMBOM I" mii ill BM& 



II »indiii« ll. 



Ik^J. -,th. pott. 






,' ibe mill 

:g. though u. ion not emrnilj 



t Th- n brr« mttaioati u 
IW wroie liw btlUd o< ' Boa 

■ 



I am ■!«•}• U.lli llWlfllWd mil mm 
t Infill} u;recaM>. It II >»rj poa.iblr I 

uu- L4m of (impllaltj .n 






., I ,, 



counlr} utoplr. 



«Hj. ifeo, 



ii} un4.-r.luod, M o 
r . dr»ill} LI..I,' fcr. 

IhoMb* 

I. ; bul Hir 

. ■ r n.« fir. I njfwM nul 
I" 

,. .kick h. imrcdu ■ 

,. !...., I* l.k. .u.l. 
■ lu»l bu liutUiuf lu do Willi llto 

• ikinkul am -f ii. i >».u 1....1 

.t .. tu Chi. Il»rr i. 

V,. WIV. 

MB I 
Wb..fi I uDjoa, mj ... 

MMwij bu 

will «*.il} allow Ibal ll ■ rl<f w.- 

Mj U wn lo... 

I ; bat Ik 

total ruin of » much lo>«d fr cf.J. I. * lot. in- 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



ill now, with as much alacrit; 
, go oo with your commands. 
i Fraser, the hautboy player 



•s that please 
! reel by the 
d which I re- 
id to sing by 



2W_"Liggeramce 
Blythe hae I been on yon h 



Underneath the grass green sod, 
[ should wish to hear how this pleases yot 

No. XXV. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
January, 5, 1793. 



hose mighty villains who divide kingd 
iga'inst kingdom, desolate provinces, and 
.ations waste out of the wantonness of am 
ion, or often fro,., still more ignoble passio. 
in a mood of this kind to-day, I recollec 





substi 


ate 


«■ And eyes again with pleasure b 
That had been bleared with mour 


ling.' 




Though better suited to the music, 
ar- inferior to the original. This i 
alteration adopted by Mr Thorns 


the 





ne that it3 querulous melody probably ha< 
welling suffering heart, fired at the tyra 

tall like j 

ong, composed in three quarters of ai 

leditation in my elbow chair, ought 



lin. If I have ( 



2'u7te — " Logan 



Far, far frae 


mean 


dLoga 


n braes 




Again the m 


errym 


ntho* 


May, 




Has made o 
The birds rej 


r hills 




ewer 8 


Si 


The bees hu 




Ih- b 


-i:n i,' 


flo^ 


Blythe morn 


l.ff lift 


hisro 


J eye, 




And evening 






rs of jo 


y = 


My soul deli 






veys, 




While Will 


e'5 far 


Vae U 




ies. 


Within yon 


milk-w 


lite ho 


wthorr 


bus 


Anianir h-r I 




sits tl 




h: 


Herfaithtu' 




ill sha 


eher 


oil, 



in Witherspoon's Colled 
U>— " Hughie Graham. 



inexpressibly beautiful ; 
I know, original. It is loo 



870 



a'to-ribrr. 0»«Wi you f»»» » » place. I ha*e 

: 11 la >».»■ 

After balancing tnjaelf fur a inu.nc ■«• iui- 

niHr., on the li .11.1. Ir.-, ol my elbow cluir, I 

|.r>*lueeu Iba 

I Oanklj co..ir». : but .1 worth) 

al all, Ihc, m -lit I- l.r.t in place t a. »»rf) 



ll.Nf.l 1.IIIKARV. 

till follow r.» ii,. i 



u • 

I M ".. I. Ml. w 



• 



| | \ I. 

r TO Ml in kn>. 

llWay. 1 






I 

. 
i 

■ much 1 am 

, 

.j mutt »uf- 
Irt tse lo iujluM a .m»h mark of mj grail, 
lade.* and lo repeal il after- 



fail to bereapecuble ami 
H'-J»rW ly moral*;. 



' 



No. \\\ll. 
MB in li\ ro MB THOMSON. 

July?, I7V3. 

1 )u.i uafaaad iIm feUawini balMi 

i of il ; a... 

. .1 ll,r 1,1.1 la.!....,, Ure. If >..( 

do not lilu iba air enough lo Rive il a place u 
. , . ■ rnum iu 'iba »o„. 
. .. I lia n i lH H. 

There »li a la... nn.l .he «« fuir, 
Al kirk .,..1 markrl iobe.ee,.; 

««« inH, 
ILr | 4|r ,l ,.. 

And ajre .he trourbi her nummic'i walk, 
I 






if. danced «.,' 



And now the work, ber nnmmie'a wrr '. 
igai «i' csre and pa... ; 
Ytt mitt 1,1 what her all roight be. 
Or that wad roak her wed again. 

tit't h»arl loop light, 
Andd.dna.o, ■.!,,. k In her t'e, 



r. be fondly 



o h-r. be food If pre. 
./f'd thus huj laic o' 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



Jennie fair, I lo'e thee dea] 

canst thou think to fane 

Or wilt tnou leave thy mamn 





hough 


sof 




of my 6 










V may 


find th 
f the 


; 




of D. 


erne 



e holds in life but in the dress and character 

No. XXVIII. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
Juhj, 1733. 



sir, that S 



■ of aft'ec 



: Howev 









Thank you for my copy of your public; 



• The Flower 

the note's : but, 
three stanzas be 



Edinburgh. ' 



Ibe old ballad, « I wish I were where Helen 
>f it in Johnson's is not much better. Mr Pin- 



n f "nTr r o]a ) tion S lb bu 


ro = 


1. It is 


full of 


"y next, I wMs^gg" 


sUo' 




nsider- 










urried notice. Iu th 






allow 


congratulate you no 






therof 


11. You have coram 


ii-n 






rae; which will now 








e, by (he illustriousj 


nryo 


FtheS 




ters of Taste—all 




a poes 






hav 




preten- 










rit to foretell and affi 








hild will bold up you 








onest pride, " Thiss 








was the work of my 




-toi." 





No. XXIX. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS, 
Edinburgh, August, 1793. 
ing your last ti 



nappy tt 



:e of li 



r the 



,-ie slower airs of ' The bush aboon Tra- 
Iquair,' • Lord Gregory, ' and the like ; for in 



^Yo™ ballad" * Therew as a ■ 
ioubtedly grace my collection. 



th 


There is 

■■■ 


a copy of 
of the parish 


this ballad g 
ofKirkpairick 
tomb of Fair 


1! 


£ 


cV 


- is 
tainly nc 


p. 275, to w 
t applicable. 


hich this char 




ris 



N . \\\. 
MS III UN^ 10 Mil I 

XV nrAR THOMSON, 

;.-~ni, it .luJjmr ihr i. 

. t of ih. l(o,,d-au .ubjwU, 

i.i If muff »r - » acil«-J. u .in jou thai I ban 



MR 1- 

'"" P««|Tt 

I Tk. .Xb.r o.....~ , 

>.r of ilo.u| anj thing 

pan 

T.«— •• Robin A 

Taatiac ib< brrtth ng tprinj , 

■ 



lbs d*»j »pnj ; 
. Old luj, 

Down in a .hadj «»lk. 
Irr.,rk d tn. cruel b'a.k 



3o mcch fur 
•11. try ■»• b»"d on H i 
1 u« tj» find mjtcf d 



DIAMOND CA111.NET LIBRARY. 

I bare juil put lbs lut bind to tbe aoi 



) lb. ton K 1 

. I .bull I,.- |,l,-«.„l, u 
It I. * fttouriit of nun-: ,f not, I 

.. II... I Mill 






. joufcir. 



N . \\\il. 
Ml THOMSON TO MB ill ltN>. 



OOJ «ll-,,Uinj; ||,,, |,uLll. .I 

, arknuwlmlg. 
I I 1.11 bun I 

aioMi „f I,. ooiqdIi 

Bptteripl lu 

.1. -I.i.l. I prru.rd mortlbtii 
.n.llj xlirihrr joor 
. 
h a tacaaioai ftitnd, uquualHJ ».ih i ;i«- 
rUI l.aij.i. of tbt port tad ll 

drowning car» together ) ibtt tn ■ 

I] ihiug lb»l would dWpij affect 
) u. »J.d Ihr only ui.llrr jou could thm .lu^j 

t -lad to •»• jou gi«e • It. .Lit 
luroluluf 

11 Wllb U hngli.b nil for I chtng., and 

j ii. mil mti'-brd laftihtr. Bobio'i tit 
. Ihoogk b« ttrulolt bt. tn oat of 

the wtjr DMM I'tnitttlto 

w.ght wtt nltgued with. I «i.h you woatd 

. ■ 

• -,ng iu»J no louder be -Xi-lud-d 
from good compt..,. 

Mr Allan ba. mad. tn inimitable drawing 

■ • ■ 

charmed will. I. I H 

couple tn - 

"» >•> *"»' P> d humour, it clapping John'. 

,« Ibtt he fullj rec/,1- 
■ 
,..'i.i. ' I be drtwii.g would Oo 
honour to tb« pencil of I 



No. XXXIIL 
MR BURN- . 

AufuM. 1793. 
Thtt erinkom-crtnlioin Innt • R- 
bat roo to io mj hud. and I tuccenled to ill 
in coj lut antra,.!, i. at I haie natal 

| lent herewith it tbal in p. 193. 



BURNS — CORRESPONDENCE. 



Till grief my eyes should clc 

Falsest of womankind, canst thou i 
All thy fond plighted vows _tioel:n 

To thy new lover hie. 

Laugh o'er thy perjury, 



Ireland that could brim 
[shrewdly suspect to hi 



inging Gaelic 
and ' Grama- 
more of the 

inity of Inver- 



to a lover's sang, 
ongbt on youthfu' pleasures mo 



nsaid, "I'm thine for ever." 
a kiss the seal impress'd, 
1 vow, we ne'er should sever. 

■ spring's the primrose brae, 



No. XXXIV. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
August, 1793. 



n glad you are pleaded 


'with my song, « Ha 


a cave,' &c. as I like 


it myself. 


I walked out vesterd 




me of the Museum in 


my hand" when turn 



No. XXXV, 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

August, 1793. 
Is ' Whi«-tle and I'll come to you, my lad,' 
if Hour airs? I admire it much: and yes- 
y I set the following verses to it. Urbaui, 
n I met with here, begged them of me, as 
lames the air much ; bat as I understand 
he looks with rather an evil eye on your 
, I did not choose to comply. However, 
e song does not suit your taste, I may 
bly send it to him. The set of the a^r 



aved unde°r the shadow of an old thoi 



t know, that in Ramsay's Tea-Table, 
; modern song first appeared, the a 
le of the tune, Allau says, is • All 



itain west of Strath-Allan 
R B. 

) my love Annie's verv bin 

K. 1 

e of the MSS. thefirsl fo 



.1 DIAMOND CABINET LIUKAKY. 

. r and cnilhvr and a' ihould gao Bui b<«u(j, how frail and ho* «'r-»tine-. 
niiu. ■ of ■ linr ramtiiar'i 

wbi»iic and I'll com* lojou, my lad. 

. ti-nt whrn you come lu court ma, 



■r, UC. 

K\ kirk, or al marWf, »b»n<-'rr i - 
«.>ur by mea. tbo' that )o o. 

- 
it bokia' (l me. 



.rr iiu for m». 

■ 



■: ■ p. M.. .lain 
Umnv Jcaiu lli«j arr I 
You ahaJI hear from m*-, I 

i.n ii U ;.i u,j rhjralag Bill 



N w.wi. 
Mil hi . MROR. 

A<ifMt, L79S. 

Thai MM 'Caul.! k.il/ i. .ucl. u 

I ,. io.r.1 „ut )r»lrril.i) 

Lr • (loualo-tbei • < ' 



, maaribai pnwdM o't* la* abort 

!, ikkaf ibal .1 «... u., mii), ••*•«, 

<"»l"' in.pirrr Ib.i mm by ray elbow. 
•• amuoth tflidinr, without rltpt «■ 
lot .our on my rluw.nt: fancy, la DM Bl I 
I .,!.. uola 



kJ m, f„od fancy. 






\ the Uu.b o- my cl 

d b<,W Out. I. tbr I.I 



lk«i through tbc (jrr- 

ua au» c and pleasure, and lo»e. 
A-a, Ac. 









• ..Id Kail." 

I 

we tu'ar .ball iuimUt, 

-.1 du.', 
. ■•alia and (randrur : 



i i lift alone 






1 bat 1 m 


j live to lo*c bar. 






Tim. in m. 


arm., wi'-.' thy ch 






1 cla.p m 








I'D .«k ,.M 
























1 .wear 1 


























r.k lb. abor. will tu 


.'.or 




jrou, fa.otir 





t Gloamio^_t»ileht, probable from 
iruj. A beautiful poetical word whieb 
to be adopted in England. A gloaouD-i 
twilight IBM 



BURNS — CORRESPONDENCE. 
;r tbe Moor,' I a 



1 world have been, so long accustomed 
amsay's words, that a different song, thou 

ived. I am not fond of choruses to so n| 

No. XXXVII. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
August 1793. 
DAINTY DAVIE. 






? ay, grei 



tinty Davie, 
und us fa', 

y Davie. 



When ptirple morning star 

To steal upon her early far 

Then through the dews I v. 

To meet my faithfu' Da\ 

"When day, exniring in the 
The curtain draws o' natur 
Ifieetohisarmsllo'ebes 



Meet me on the warloc 



So much for Davie. The chorus, 



* Dainty Davie is the title of an old Scottish 
tbe'title and the measure. 



No. XXXVIII. 

MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 

Edinburgh, 1st Sept. 1703. 

nee writing you last, I have received half 
zen songs, with which I am delighted be 
nd expression. The humour and fancy c 
rVhistle and I'll come to vou. mv lad. ' wi 

Ldo'wn vending "wi'th,' 



breast,' 
y Allan 
ud feel- 



iposition. Our friend, I 
rs, read it with a swell! 
. The union we are now 



and will be fondly c] 

tas \vh a i' d s t nsibilit; 

think it right to in. 



of all the fa- 
no fewer than 
lened the pleas- 





N 


. XXXIX. 






MR BURNS TO 


MR THOMSON. 










Sept. 


793. 


an may 


readily 












n my po 






ily at y 








ngl 








ry nam 


B of Pet 


r Pi 




of grea 




Jour p 


ablicatio 


1, so 


Ft' a . 


*erse Ir 


om h 



where i 


uch of the merit lies 


11] CO 


nte 


rpoii.t' 
ish !>,- 


howeve 












fleet 


my 














On the 


other hand, by way 


of an 






- 




odies 




Kch.ll 




know whether the ol 
nay rank among this 


S ' a 'i y 


H 


n-i;.M 




hat with Frazer's h 








ten filled my eyes with tears. 


'I'll 


r'e 


s a ira- 



of Scotland, that it was Robe: 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



■ikuiana >n the ihm 

i 

.-. bur.i imhr air ik 

a i". »u<ji 

I i . hrfUIC lu.lvHtll UO lh.ll eicu.ful UJII 



BHi ci: TO ill-. TROOPS. 

> tii« ere or the sattlb vr ma.vm 



b ^fu«4 U»»ri 
Wha sill Ur.lr.iv.t-kn... 



i-uxT. ainf and U-, 
L«l b.a> 

Ubiiu-j .kail be fin J 



M \l. 
MB UlRNSTO UU. THOMSON. 



I na'l brlj. < 



SruV. UN. 
,1 ,ou .,11 jr-J*. 



l^n u. 1>, .r Dfa f 






','«" A^ 



I licad.irourprTM.rri;, ih..i 
■it * bau- 
...moored Willi 111. 
-. tiiikle-cinale of II. own bell., 
lhal il i. ran lo run poor P.l-Jarl c. lb. bed- 
lam u*r..j, uuile bcjoi.d anj ueaful poiDI or 
..f man. 

- I 'ran r.u.l. I lit- Highland air Ibal JTW Ml rue, 



' 






. lit ll ll .li« lo.ra | .l/at, 
U lill u< u«. .b. u.u«ouio.: 

Ml TIIOM-mi.N Id MR HI R.N 8. 
Edinburgh, 5lA SrpL 17K3. 
rwnlb allowed Ibal lb. pMr> 
e»l modralr •• Ihe.ure .ilend.nl of lh< K re»i 

J loowa. 

jou .peak of Iba . »« il in.-, were ordinary pro- 

i aia i. to ma iba i.c- 

. (bl Neutti.ii 

language. 1 ba;j$rened lo d.ne jeaiardav with 

, to whom I read iu 



[b« loea of f; imp il a luna to lolallv c. 
merest or graadrur ai 'Maj tuttie laiinr.' Aa- 

; irti.liljr for tbu luna mi.lwiw 
from ibe uliu aaaociated in .our mind bf tbe 

Beralag il, for I oarer beard any 



BURNS.- CORRESPONDENCE. 



link 'Lewie Gordon' is most happily 
'n of the fourt'h line, which I shall 



:,i,~ 


t sub, 


ilut 


ng yc 


ur ode in 


the 


room 


• Le 




n ;.wu 




ch has nei 

the poetry 


h z 


h ch"r- 








s! >. 






i I ha 




uggest 


u po 


n the 




fea 


h ver.- 


the 


tily In 






for the air, 


is as. 




Ver 


e Is/, 
2d, 


< ,u 


n glo, 




lave 


r,e. 




3d, 


Let 
Ji'u 


ulZ 


: 


..'.'•i. 


be fre 




6 th, 


Le 




t us do or 






If 


youco 


tinect 


each 


line with 


tsov 


n verse 






























ener 


*h,l 


heo 


lv i., 


e which I 


,..-; 


e in ll 



to welcome 1 In your next I will expect to be 

proposed. These little alterations I submit 

The beauty of the verses you have made for 



No. XLIL 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
September, 1703. 



A your 



:, Uav 



I hav 



half of the third sti 
As down (he burn 



With "Mary 


, when shall we ret 


urn 


S,c P lea»ur 








"Love, Hike the 




And aye sh 


all follow you."f 




* Mr Thorns 


on-s list of songs fo 
s remarks the bard 


r his pub- 




s through the who 






: merely signifies h 




tion. All his 














ion Mr Thomson h 




(or at least inte 


uded to adopt,) ins 


ead of lue 



• Through the wood laddi 


"and 1 




° l' ■'■ '' 


see r on b d e o? hY-h part of n the 


;;.";;, 


eing'n 


e, ' the 










foriustruinei.talii.UMC, and 




"bem 


chbet- 


ter omitted in singing. 








•Cowden-knowes.' Re 








beg,, t ,i,ing heSOnSinPUreE 


iglish 


to th 


s tune, 


"When summer comes 


th 


swa 




Tweed," 








is the production of Crav 


ford 


Rob 


ert was 










! -Laddie lie near me.'m 




eby 












I am complete master of a 








singing, (such as it is,) I 






for it. My way is : 1 consii 




poeti 








the 


H.-1C.I 


expression ; then choose my 




e; begin one 


stanza; when that is composed, 




is ge- 


nerally the most difficult pa 


rt ni 






I walk out, sit down now and th 


en, look out 
















of my 


fancy, and workings of my 




; hu 








the v 




have framed. When I fee 


my 




begin- 








sioe of 










paper, swinging at interval 




le hi 


d legs 


of my elbow-chair by way o 


f call 


ngfo 




own critical strictures, as 








Seriously, this at home, is 






iriably 


my way. 
















•Gill Morice'I am for le 






It is a 


plagney length ; the air its 


if ..: 




sung: 




ipplie 


d by 




two songs for fine airs th 






n your 


list. For instance, 'Craig 






' and. 


' Roy's Wife. ' The first. 


.t-Miie .1-- 11 








high 


merit, as well as great cele 


rity. 


I ha 




original words of a song for 








hand-writing of the lady who 


con. 


osed 




they are superior to any ed 




of the sou? 










'Highland laddie.' The 


OldS 


twill 


please 


a mere Scottish ear best ; a, 






iltaL 


ianized one. There is a tl 






at U>- 


wald calls the old ' H.ghla 


nd 'laddie,' 




pleases me more than eithe 


of 




It is 


sometimes called ' Ginglan J 


ohnn 




being 


name'. r YotfwiU nnd'it'kuh 


Mus 


-urn! 


Vhae 


been at Crookie-den,' &c. 1 


would advi 




in this musical quandary, 


to ..lier^u 


jour 


and in. the meantime, wain 


g"fo 


~ this 


li.'r'cl 


tion, bestow a libation to B 
















choice. Jfrobatum est. 








original song, which is obj 


etion 


able! 


point 


° * e Tbis song, so much ad 


■ ired 


byou 


bard. 


will he found in the future p 


1,'t o 


the v 


lume. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



kuld Sir Simon." I u 



I as 



• il.nhc hit I been on the bill ' ia one of • Saw je my father' if m of my greater . 

.-. e\er I mid. in mj life ; and fa. our. tee. 'Ibe evening before l«(, I win. 

t-.ide» ■• cuinpoeod on a young lady, poailieelj dered out end began a lender mill ; in wlmt 1 

lue mo.1 beautiful, lo.ely woman in Ibe world. llmik ii ill nali<e .lyle. 1 mum preiui.e that 

•...ng >ou -be name, »nd d«.i(r. the old «.), ud lb* way to ghra I 

try girl .inga— " Saw jo my la- 
i. lut |mI begun; and I .hould 

like, before 1 |.r. . Mid, I.. know ,.,ur opinion if 
il. I bate .prmkled il wilb ibe Scuili.h dia- 
lect, but il way be ca.ily turned into corr.cl 
Engl.ab. 



If il will nut nil, ». I |.r-.,-..'d, we will Uj 
I *o of the iiiiiii together, aud then make 

.me when he pi... it. 

. r. I .hall 

the palbo. 
make an ■ 

A a bowl of 

I -ept Ibe baulbuL aud tbe tuu.e. 

Tboai boat left me e.rr, Jam... Tbou ba.t left 

I M ha.1 lefl 

' Iboa i»«'J Ibat 
...e.er. 

... for a;« — I Biaa taw 



Tboa ba»< m. forukca. Jamie, Thou ha.t aw 

- t -r.aaen, Jamie, Tbou ba.l me 

Tuou e»u ■ ^ :. .e my bea/l 



I KM. 

T*nc—" Saw ye my father." 

\VI,.„ arelhejo,. I hae met in II 

irk', early aang? 

- peace ibal awaited u.j wander- 
lag, 

. wild wood, amaugr 

Nae ma.r a-wind.ng the c lOrM o" WQ r,,er. 
I irace Ibe light fooUfc 
llui .on'.* and a*4 ngbing care. 
I. il lhal M mt'i for.aken oar telle).. 

. ..ear t 

- Le.-. buuiiuiug louud the p»j 

Proclaim il the pride o' ibe year. 
K..n would I bid*, wb.i I fear to di.co.er, 

1. Jeaul, I air Jeuny aluue. 
Cetera I 

• Todlia bam*. ' Urbani mentioned in 

idea of hi. which baa loo;' Leeu unite- r I. . t 

Ibii .ir i. highly .uweplible of palbo* ( to 

i trill uuu hear him, at )uur 



* Jocky aud Jem. ' 

• 1 iiere . nae luck about 

Ike inilui' »b a hi. a it. plraxut a r ; aod 

• e-bajiad in 

Miap. in any 

-ru ben .be 



i, old mao'a amgiug, u eoou(,b lo 



ALLD LA 



» The Soon «b (ibe Editor u.-» the word 
aaawtaoti-' B P* B 3' the ab- 

. ill for 1 .ba.l a. well a. I will; 
■ I .hall it ■ u~rj here. In An- 

laud, for I .ball, tnej o.e L'ta. 



| .iOg .;oe ? 

Chonu. 
Foe aold l»ng .joe, my dear. 



BURNS.— CORRESPONDENCE. 



And surely je'll be your 



number of ballads, properly so called. • Gill 
Morice, Tranent .Muir, MTherson's Fare- 
well, Battle of Sheriff-rnuir,' or ' We ran and 
they ran, (I know the author of this charming- 
ballad and his history;, Hardiknute, Barbara 

do vou know that t really have the old tune to 
which ' The Cherry and the Slae ' was sung; 



merit; but it is a great curiosity. I have : 

No. XLI1L 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



e altered the song as follows : 
BANNOCKBURN. 



rord will strongly ura v. : 
d or freeman fa', 
! ou wi'roe! 



But tl 


ey shall 


be -shall be free ! 


Lay the 


proud us 


urperslow! 


lS 




usdoo'rdie! 


N.B. -II 

the common 


stall edi 


Dwed the last stanza 1/ 
ion of Wallace. 


<«Afals 
And libe 


rty retur 


sinks in eyery foe, 
as with every blow. " 



No. SLIV. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 

your observations on the list of my songs! I 
am happy to find your ideas so much in unisoii 
with my own respecting the generality of the 



veil a 



Abou 



ibli=h as an additional on* 
the king of good fellows 
of the lively Scottisl " 



d thousands of 



i>k-; mi t \ni.\LT l.niHAUY. 



■ 

i.n.l. l would »i.h tod... 



' 



r more with regard I 
that ft prudent general «uuld a> 



I h»ve lii.i.l.r.l mr »0>i|f to 'Saw ye ml 
tuber t' an.) in KmrIi. h, u ">u will Mi 

ll,. i there i. . nllabfa loo nuuh Tor ihr iv 



bu.il.r,. wllrrr I I...I iiij ideaa Willi lb* Ul • 

Ihr old ohm ha.e merit, though unequal, 
and are popular ; my ad.ice ll lo »et lli. air 10 



pair jenht. 




» Mr Tkomwn b*-. 

|l10ilalll 10 I.. in. ' II* I... Hlnill. 
•Jroi * hnrim Gortkm,' and perbap 



lo lb. ulu.u.1 f Kb -I "'-rial nartioa. ' Tt»M 

r..,.bl be .iluvlra'ed lad 

rplrlt-atbrrlog mi ■ 



...I, e. 






deeu.il may 
• on.-obat ot 



waraciu a..i/r., •■ 



■ 'ri.ii erf Bk> . liag ncuioii. Ba*ka«J. 

of khm ScoUi.b Handel, if ■!... loch .bould waya lo pre^nl t picture ll.al ia «i».d, and la 
la future axiae. In- reader Brill ha«e ob- or. form ly diapwd to ••cnl.ee ibe delieaciee 
• ib- altar o.' llie imagination. Aud 






: prrba 



teiafa 



- - -r, be rejected then , .of language. In how 

~;ly urged, with determined re- mauy ln.in.c-. migbt tbi. be eieaoplLwl 

~latioo. With e.ery reepeet for ibe judg- from ibe worke of our immortal bbalupeaia. 

. we may 
le .an.f.e-1 (bat be did .©. He who in prepar- . u Id fardeia bear. 






mage. 



Ilk, i 



11 Utnnockburi 



e bimaelf might nu r/aierna make 
r* ea.y lo enlarge, Lut I 



BURNS — CORRESPONDENCE. 



Enjoyment I'll seek in my w 



No. XL VI. 

MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

Sepu 93. 
have been turning over some volumes ( 

For '°MuirIaiid Willie ' you have, in Ran: 





The billows on 


Ihec 


cean 






The cloud 
They at 


ezes idly roaming, 
e but. types of woman. 




O! arttn 


ounc 


tash 


imed 






To doat 

If man th 

Despise 


the 


afe 

ill/ 


5 


ained, 




Go, find a 

Hold on t 

And the 


n honest fellow 
aret set befure 

n to beVS glor 


Ue, 


Tbef 


aulty line i 


iLo° 


an-vs 




I mend thus 


•• How can yo 
The widow's 


e"" 


■L t 


■M 


enjoy 
j»cry ?" 


Th 

Greg 


.song, oil, 
ira Kua-S 


iX 


5 will 


pass 
will 


see a song o 


"ourt 


'VlL^L 


Jaw 


et'"f 
Vol 


"if. 


ur superior to 
p. 181. The 


so"5 


begins, 











inds around her blowing. " 



sic's sake we shall not insert it. 
the wars,' is a charming song; 
w ye my Peggy.' 'There's nae 
the house,' well deserves a place; 
iy that ' O'er the hills and far awa' 
as equal to your selection. ' This 



ae kind pretty— but you 



my . 



t us a* to the bridal' to any other w 

What pleases me, as simple and n 

n, • Fye, gie me my coggie, sirs 
t us a' to the bridal,' with several 
that cast, are, to me, highly pleasing 



my Fall 



tt.th il 



v ye 



the mill has gotten ?' pleases myself sc 
that I cannot try my hand at another i 



No. XLVIL 
MR EURNSTO MR THOMSON. 



is will be found in the latter part of ihi: 
3 Honourable A. Erskine, brother u 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRAS*. 



ITjio. a.n I. inj f.iihful 

TUm, 
Kwj p«lM 

L..i, in 

To Ik, botom I.J mj he, 
Ihrobtod I... 
pi r had wrui 



Tdw »«») Ibeui rc»t lip*, 

T„,u..,, Ik 

L«»l I die ».iu ulratur*. 



.N»IU/c J»J Kluf u UJ. 






TUB MCII IIM, .1.; 



lh.lr.T IMrd !',r',,|", r ..!w\ r |'!!.'n 

A* Juibj IrnuW Uboflon, 
b d..( i« k.r liiMJH .„.,„.' ' 



.-.h«d«. oUeur. ibe.l,. 
A..d ».•«« Ih. .«,!.,„„ !,„„,. «.,„, 

' bM, lb, u.clod,. 
Aud ..~!be I pw,r lur.^cu ■■«ia. 



. 






*r o air"" 









|B .e! memo, 

Aad ihough .,cw, oai 

t donoi« 

Let gtneroat pilj .irm ibee, 
. r<l one* mtore ; 

Th. riLo»ior idd/eaof ToroboU lo ih- 
»:io.h. w«.?.„.» 

m«imer. Pom, bit, u be u u old fr.e..d of 
mine, I m»j be prejudiced ia bi» f»T ui- ; bul 
1 like mii at ou piece, • -■ 



r «l,rr, I „,||. 



• o.d, wood,,, -...d.ujnll j 



When », ni^ht Ihe drowrj, *v 

• .■eb-eoaipeilinc rod, 

Wh.le*„bbo U »dl«.jo,I rfc „ 
1 bruugh (be Uu-, Unu „f | « , 

•» »'"" 1 v.,11. 

l_«ur» imuiuIi mj fanejr mil. 



BURNS. - CORRESPONDENCE. 

'llwedanot ._. 
ancy, Nancy, 



No. SLV1II. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
7th Nov. 1793. 



out some that will answer as English songs to 
••■-iirs yet unprovided. 

No. XLIX. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



Husband, husbar 

Nor longer idll 

Though 1 am you 



My spouse Nancy." 



My last ho 

When ,oa la 

Thini, thi 


then break it must 

v me in the dus't, 
k, how you will bea 


•• I will hope 
My"spouse 


and trust in heaven 
ncy; 

ear it will be given, 
Nancy." 


Well, sir, fr 


m the silent dead. 



Then all h 




flyf 


or fcar. 




My spot 


se Nai 


C J.' 






Air—> 


The Sutor 


s Doch.er 


.» 


Wilt thou 


be my 


dear 






\\.V„ s,,r 




l.ES 


by gentl 


heat 


Wilt thou 






thee f 




By the tre 










That's the 




bear 










ha: 


nly thou 




Shall ever 










OnU thou 


Isw 








Shall ever 


be my 


dean 






Lassie, sa 


vtbou 


o'es 







No. L. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
Edinburgh, 7th April, 1794. 

Owing to the distress of our friend for the loss 
of his child, at the time of his receding you- 

3°/ am I to find Borns saytog^ Calls* 

he is delighting olhers from the one end of the 
• u hypochondriae 



: Go, 



i physic 



:■• the . 



lp py Carlini ! 
Your plan for ou 
e greatly, and 1 tr 



rboehter,' 



••Id to be Oa< 
II..I I bali 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

of Edinburgh ! ' It has al-j work lo b» at • dead »lcp, anli] (lit allies «et 
ludrrn Eugliah imitation ; | our Modern Orphru» at libcrtt from the •«<" 
I diaowd. ! Alaa ilio 
met That 



N ... I I. 

HI BUB1T8T0 hE THOMSON. 
May, I7M. 

return sou the plain, wilh which I am high- 
humbly propoac. melead 



1 



.-e on Ilia 
"ill. the 

,*''Z\ 

I eo'ichooaiog 

Ml| IS L« u:t 



Li and I 






.1.1 with the bappiucaa of m li- 



nt page, I 



HANKS OF CREE- 
->n. and here tbe bo« 



Mafia, I «bn;*r.nr call ; 
ut the haioij-brralhing gale. 
ilh eome warbler', dj.ug tali 
■mj alar ut an to Qui. 



.-. soietlh 

. 'be woodlai 
. •..tbful m.l 



I hate prr.enled a copy of je 

nourrd iriendof mm-, .Mr Qra 
I wrolaoa iba Uaal ..deof il.e 
fullo-.hgoddre,. to the ,ou,, g lad,. 

Haras, wlirre the Scull.eh muse iinin .rl ,1 
I ' atiaiaa anil lunrl ■.! 

Accept the gift; though bumble be who 

Rich la th<- tribute of the graltlul | 

So mar no ruffian ( feeling in fa I 

. an abatda umnuJ ; 

Ul lore acalalic wake 1... aeraph ^ug. 

Or pl<; 'a note* in luiurj of Iran, 

Aud baauraa-bora pietj her ■auction iwlii 
No. LI 1 1. 

tdmiirrjA, lOUi Avpui. I7M. 

I .,«• jou an apology, for basing ao long de- 
layed to acknowledge the favour of tour laal. 
ajl base au 
r ..-I nil France and we 

MU lo be prepared with tbe poetry, aud aa the 

I tro.l I 
fre^uemly (.-ratified with the rrauit o! y.ur 



No. LIV. 
'■ MR BURNS TO MR THOMB4 ,N. 

30IA AufUMl, 1704. 
The last erenir.?, aa 1 waa atrajing out a 
thinking of 'O'er tbe hilla and far awa, 
I apon the following stanza for it ; but wbell 



case, my dear air, to } 



No. LIL 
I BURNS TO MR THOMSON 

Jaly, 17D3. 
e qo aews jet of Plejel ? Or i» j u li 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 





in it, a 




st; b 


it I own, 






a i 






This is ju 




sk, 




ntil I see w 


lier it be w 


rth a cr 








ailor songs 




far 


15 I 


t present re 


BCI, they a 




lie 




ns of the jo 




he waili 


•-- 


of h 


s lovelorn n 


on-« Swe 


t Annie f 




;),■ '•- 




r ow for the 


SOOg. 








ON THE SEAS AND FAR AWAY 


Ta 


e_« O'e 


rth 


Hill 


s,' &c. 


Howca 


a my poo 


he 


irtbe 


glad, 



How can I the thought forego, 
He'sonthesea - i -'^ f - 
Let me wander, 



On the se: 
On stormy 

Nightly d: 



Ajid thunders reud the howl 
List'niug to the doubling re 
Surging on the rocky shore, 
All I can— I weep and pray 
For his weal that's far awa 
On the seas, &c. 

Peace, thy olive wand ester 
And bid wild war his ravag 



No. LV. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
Edinburgh, 16th Sept. 1794. 



it to my liking, part- 



night hour, ' t 
of imagery, t 
thought would 



MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 





Sept. 1794. 




I shall withdraw my « On the seas and fc 






thundering at his gun : 
re my only joy • 


of the work. Making a poem is like begetting 


wise man or a fool, until you produce him lo 




the world and try him. 



ain flattered at your adopting ' CV 



When I gave it to Johnson, I added some 
still it will not do for you. In a solitary stroll 



A r ofe by Mr Thomson. 
Doctors differ. The objf 

stanza dues not strike the £ 



DIAMOND CAMNBT LIURAIIV. 



lUrk the m»;i' evening i- 



W»"H r«« down bt Clouden aide 
O'er th. wive, ih.i m 



Po iou know t Uackg '•"' l» »b ">"g. called 

. 

fun of hen thall ban 

-, to .... ...♦J.OCT. vrrte, |S . »> 

'• p""< 



Tat-*' Onagh't Waier-f.:!. ' 

ie flaxen were bar I 

Her ejebrr-wt of a darter hue, 

Wbsnt.il* 
Uaia iboe ro.j l.p* 10 fro* s 



. in-alar. 11 



Such «i. my Clilor'n" boani. far 

i beaak hca l - 

And are mjr ChlorV drarr»l aba! 



Like harmony her motion : 

Dciratinc fair ; 

Wad ma. I .aim fort* Ch. .!>,. 
Sae warming, lac charming, 

Hrr fuulllr.t form and graceful air 
Ilk fralur.-.uld Nature 

Ihtelared that .h. could do na. man 
II". are lb* -ill..., chain. „■ |,„ r . 

U bnafl '. .overe.gn la 
irr.l rlmriu. 

Sll. .. Jt.be lo'etU.0 be.lol «'. 



Fall ban ng .nd ..ream.,,,. 

Ilrr ..l.rr I ■ a: !■ ( the bough* ainaiig j 
Wk.l. railiar. racaUloc. 

MM n.ru.b conclude, bit Bug : 

Auu t-ij Ibou lor, BM t,. .1 „| a'. 

Not to compare .mall thing, with great, my 

. I ka tbr mighty I'rrdrnck A 

Pntatia'l I..tr .11 aaltlng : we ar. told iL.nl 

hr bamaalif adinirrd what tb. culinoiHeur. 

car, brcaute pr^pl. of ui.di.putcd auil culli- 
vaied la.le can bud no mem in ...j favourite 
- , LrcaoM 1 am eh.ai.lv pleated, 
I, that anj re. ton why 1 .bould dm, mj.r.l 
Ibat pl.aaur. t Men, of ouj .trilhtpeyi, an- 

l.owing dllgutl. Kor lli.ljl.r-. I 

iiniml now making 

tb.'. Hani,' an air which poll me in rapture. ; 

and m fact, unlet. I be pleaaed »i h the lunr, 

Clarke on my ..dr. who it a judge that I will 
tlauyofyou. • Uoibirinurche, ' lie 

part of the tune for a cboru., and tlir fourlb or 
lait part for the aonr. I am but two tlauzat 
derp in the work, and powiblj jot 

.'. IB. p-^-irj i. at Jit tie worth 

' Let me in ibit «e 

"be old cboru. t I "hi nk we muit retain loth 
the old cboru. and the trtt ttanza of Ihe old 
toog. I do not altogether Iflyj tbe third line 



* In the original follow her* two tlanraa nf 
a im(, L-r 

..ud at full length at- 



BURNS.-CORRESPONDEXCE. 
isful or otherwise; should she -Met him 



Did you not once propose « The Sow's ta 

quite delighted with it; but I acknowleds 
ihat is no mark of its real excellence. I one 






TO DR MAXWELL, 



conncTeTa?,; threes wh 

proper to take every assistance from her luue- 
ful sister, Part of the songs of course would 
be to our favourite Scottish airs ; the rest might 
be left with the London composer — Storace 
for Drury Lane, or Shield for Covent garden ; 
both of them very able and popular musician*. 

often necessary to have a drama brought on : 
so it may be with the namby pamby tribe of 
llowery scribblers; but were you to address 
Mr Sheridan himself by letter, and send him 
a dramatic piece, I am persuaded he would, 



No. LIX. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 







No. LVIIL 


MR THOMSON TO MR BU 


es U wUd' 


-r r 


prightly muse is no 
ivourile poet, whose 


he says 
pleasan 
ceforlh 


'£: 


table songs I have 
1 give Cunningham 



itrary, I think it highly 



strathspeys. 


wbe 


graced wi 


h sttcil V 




a. 




mak. 


very pleasi 


-' S.l.g, 




th 




i.-h Chr.sti 








and softened 


tr i 


vely woman 








you kuow, t 




ad been bru 










fori 


aving the • 




1,' j 




ticufaHyaT 




roposed ver 








tremely pron 




. Geordie 


asjou 


- 














Mrs Thomsc 




vie 'fctj 








all poetical. 


Re 














Jamie, or 






bat 














Your ' Ca 




yewes,» is 




nali 






ndee 


1 am per 










with the endles 


var'iety 


of y 




fancy. He 


V e 


U ThCis°a 




er • 

8 UJ 




yoLr genius, 




hich it mlg* 


t shine 


rtny 




all its splend 




One or two 










tage would 




urt 




tune. The 












dramas ; few or u 


one of thas 


which have 


>p- 



collections. 1 
have read and sung, and fiddled, and consider- 
ed, till I am half blind and wholly stupid. 
The few airs I have added, are inclosed. 

Peter Pindar has at length sent me all the 
songs I expected from him, which are in gene- 
ral elegant and beautiful. Have you heard of 

just published by Mr Ritson an Englishman." 



send y 
essa.v onthesubjecl 

proof of the hypothesi 



copy. 



His i 



On John Pinkerton, 






tsofthe Scott 
many of then 



* Our bard had befor. 



unjustly leaving it to be 



DIAMOND CA III NET LinHAKY. 



«"'J, we know not bow loug, by or 
munication, before being collected anil pnulni: 
• i»l •• il ll«rrnt peraooe BUS the BUM air mj 

r. to have poeeeeeed >: 
lb* tul. aod di.ceromem to cooo,e lb. beat 
ib.y roo id bear, (which i. far from oarfala.) 
.'ill .1 mu.t IfMwllj l-r a ahanoe, whr her ihe 
collection, eah.bit any of lb* Bat] 
*•»'• lh »7 »•»• •>"<■ eompowd. In MhMtag 
ih« melodic* lor myewu 

■ "•' "«•»• »• h Ibcdrad. 



I . 



ana tb. m«i |H BiB| . 

"" ■■ ' ■ i •"' compl.m.ui lo on own capability 
-, or .peaking of lb* | I 

BwJj fr«-~»l Irura vulgar erior, on iba 
. a 11 J aflecinl gracae on Ik 



-v it bi am 



fly lb.a r, r hit. «nd, • RoaliD Ca.lle' ia compo.'d. 'Ilia aecc 

. I I part, In particular, fur lb* fir.! two "r lli 






r cam b.n .be bolbei,' tli. fol 
owing .lanraa of Bin., altered a Imle from 
.fiat tbey war* formerly »bcn mi feu another 
nr, may perllep. do iu.icad of wor ■ 

BAW M. Ml I'm Vf, 

Vwuidical PAi/iia.) 
7W-- When aba cam ben .be bobbel. ' 

) ■■» t« my dear, my Ph.ly T 

»••«»• 

Itw'a dowu i" Ih. gro... .h.\ wi ' . new lorn, 
bh. wiona coma bauic to br, \\ ,11,,. 

>\hu .a;, aha, roy deare-if, my Ph.ly ? 
Vhat.ay.ehe, m, daaraal, 



IBB lb. brail o' tbj V. 

Now for a few ml.c.Ilaneoua rem.;. 

• ■ Muwuin), i. my compoeilio.i : 

takaa dowa boa Hn Barn*' 

■•U knows in it,r u 

t'j. but tfi. old word. ar. tra.b. II. ih- bn, 
tax. a look at lb. tun. again, tad i 






rlaclly Iba old a 
i.ot' ia minr; iba mu.ic i. by oar ri 
ly and deaervedly w 

' Donochi bawd, ' ia not mini 



r^i.ri. He will return he" -.'..u h. a w..k wou'd git. ten pruodt it war.. It appeared 
- ba will do, perui, H paper wiih iba 



•Tlie Povie' will be found afterward., 
n.r io me whet ^ ,;, mni ,h- other poema of winch be ipenk.. 

■ ■>«'"> <* I. b.S'in^u'ired'wbelber'Vey we're our bard'e.' 

•■ .der . "■ - 



.' it tnmnr oor ecquair,- 
im. ) I iiijr yoa thai to my lo.ely friend 
' ' d for many of 



poem eo highly prai.ed by Il..rii Ban 






•feh life, aod lore, 

with eothoaiaim, or melt" bits with patho.. 
- renin, of your boo. 

...n ordinary 
iaantg; to be in war e'efrree equal 



K-enblew. the wind./ 
"»-• •»"*■ I lie .... drive, .nelly through II 

. ._- aofier, giu, T ,, e Oaberlunzie lirl. my aneek. 

could iwpire a man ArM j .faiveritig tell. bi. waefu' tali 

•• Cauid ,, me nigbl, Oletm.it., 
Aod dinna let your miruUel (a*. 



e I faal a 



;"> 



I hare a glorioo. recipe ; ibe very one tbal for 
hia own tue wa« invented by tee divinity of 
healing and poetry, when br.t he piped to the 
flock, of Admetuo. I put aayackT in a regimen 

adorab lily of ber charm., in f 
are deligbied with my veraea. The lightning 
'be godhead of Paroaa.ua, and the 
witchery of her .mile, the dhria lj 



Ue nathing but a wreath o' .naw. 

And pip'd whar gor-f 
And mony a da, I've danced, I wren. 

lo lilt, which from my drone I blew 
My Eppie waked, and aooa .be cried. 

Get up, Cuidman, and let b.m in , 
For wael ye ken the winter night 

Waa .hort whea be began bi. dm'. 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



though a red-wud Highlandman, constantly 
claimed it ; and by all the old musical people 

• Andrew and his cutty gun. ' The song to 
which this is set in the Museum, is mine ; and 
was composed on Hiss Euphemia Murray, 
of Liutrose, commonly and deservedly called, 
the flower of Strathmore. 

< How laug and dreary is the night.' I met 

somewhere, which I altered and enlarged ; and 
to please you and to suit your favourite air, 

and have arranged it anew, as you will find on 
the other jage. 

• Tune-Cauld kail in Aberdeen.' 

How lang and dreary is the night, 
Vy-lien lam fare my dearie , 

Though I were ne'Vsaewe'ary. 

Cfumn. 

For oh, her lanely nights are lang ; 



bass to your addenda airs. A lady of n 
quaintance, a noted performer, plays and 



But when it's tuned to sorrow's l 
O, haith, its doubly dear to mi 

Come in, auld carl, I'll steer my 
I'll make it bleeze a tonnie Sal 

Ye should na 6tray sae far frae 



/ life 



This affecting poem is 



the same time so charmingly, that I shall 

e world as nakerTas Mr Whal-d'jJeall'sm 
is done in his London collection.* 
These English songs gravel me to death, 
bave not that command of the language that 
have of my native tongue. I have been at 
)uncan Gray,' to dress it in English, but all 
:au do is deplorably stupid. For instance. 

Tune—' Duncan Gray.* 

Lei not women e'er comp'lain, 
Fickle man is apt to rove ; 

d through Nature's range, 



mighty U 



-Man 






Jove, I have been 



Num. 



■; ilka I 



And by the^reekingTods ; ' 
Wild Nature's tenants, freely, gladly stray ; 
The lintwhite in his bower 
Chants o'er the breathing flower ; 
'lhelav'rocktotheskv 
Ascends wi' sangs 



e the i 

day.f 

Phoebus gilding the 1 



u arise to bless the 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 



' Cruifif-burn wood,' 



mu.l criiainly be adopted inlo niv family, .incr 

ol Jrcrn,-., I mu.l beg • new . Ii..iu. W 

-Ui.ir beyond thee, de 

prrh.p. . ron.un.malion lo be wi.bed, 






|, and make 
gta lobeun.l.r 
, . mu.,c.l cur 



■ clolhed aud mude 



ningbaro. in ■aadlaa; you Ru« 



mad by lb- li 



l ...lend pul. 


1 ,;., i,.,( In, ,1 1,,. b. - 




eel e«.ay on S.-olli.h .ong interc.'ii. 1 I 


'.urn Ib* .er.e. 1 lalaajg foe it. 


enccJole. and mi.cellaiiroue leniark. wi.l, 1 






llll \l 1 1> MAS. 


'•l-iggie Lau-, 




danelaf with .urb , 


Bat lel.ly ewao i» |Ml 


bj plajlag with tba moat txuui. 


Th. w„ 


Thro' pall* • o«*r« ibe laugb. 


..1. gl*e. 




1 am much inclined 10 gal a .mail copy, and 

la b«». ii iaurntal in (ha .lyl- i 


. 






1 t ,, what do jour anredotea itj 
' Maggie Lauder ? ' >n .he a r.el 
. ,r.J „f what rank? ^ 


1 ,..11 bring the* a*. 




. u ce'd al Au.lrulbrr 




town. 









No. LXII. 


n 






MR BURNS TO Mil 111' ■ a 








l,.heoe,ge. -bch yoa mention in 

I will think in for toolbar inform .lion, and 


Many thar.ka lo yno, tny dear air, for jour 
lo me. 1 bare jealerday begun my anecdote.. 


nieerabW or.wi ng bolcb-potch a) 


\c. for tour work. I inland drawing il up in 


completely brad jvu of my cvrreepoadaoce. 






fiom tba ladlrjM dull bejtlraaai of ayaiemalic 




arrangement. Indeed, ae all 1 ha»e lo any eoo- 




tiilt of unconnected remark., enecdele., acrape, 
old aonga, fitc it would be imnoeeible to giae 




MR THOMSON TO MR B1 


which the cruic. in.i.t lo be absolutely necet- 


awttajr*. 

eke. whe^e bright eye. and witching .milee 
ka>a to often enraptured ibe So. d.h tard ! 
Ibat I m gbt drink bar avert health when tba 


eary in a work.* In ma lail, I told you my 
objectione lo tbr aong you bad tela Ii 
locging ia on Ibe cold ground.' On my vi.it 
the oiber da; lo my fair (.Mori. fib. I ia ibe 
poetic name of iba o»e!y godde.e of my in.pe- 
ral.onj the lurge.ted an idea, which I, in mr 


return from ibe mil, wrought into the fol- 
low iog aong. 




Mj Cbloria. mark how green lb* groree, 


When fr»e my Cbl Hi pined. 


The primroae bank, bow fair : 


Sad, cheerleu, broken-hearted. 


The balmy galea awake ibe flower.. 


Tben nlrtfa f : /«j .heart, e.cud«, dark. 




" > »ky ; 




Bui when abe chermi my light. 




In pride of beamy 'a light. 


* It doea not appear whether Burnt com- 


When thro' my aerjbe.it 


pleted ibeae anecdote., ate. Something of ibe 
kind, probably the rude dranght., waa found 


Her beaming gloria* dart ; 



ia paper*, and appear, in p. 1 i. 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



The lav'rock shuns the palace gay, 
To shepherds as lo kings. 



In lordly light. 

The shepherd stc 

Blythe, in the 



hepherd, in the flowery glen, 









on which I deeply feel an 
[ poesy as that other specii 
- Where Love is liberty, ; 

lusically speaking, the firs 

as power equal to all the i 
ons of the human soul. 

elfare and happiness of tl 
le first and inv.olate senti 



they would give me, yet, if they interfere with 



Despairing 


,i n 


V own p 


owers to 










,K.g=, 1 , 










lo pick 0. 








nething si 




1 1 want 


ami 


with a 1 






3 suit the 


rhym 


e of the 






them fo 




r work. 


Where t 


h^. 


"been set 


r/rr'i 


but littl 


■atafs'h 




A song 












II h 




msay's T 


Mi, 


cellany, ! 






n for an 


dress to your 


'Da. 


uty Dan 


,' as folio 



The feith 
Perch 'da 

They'll 




■;?' 


■yoi 


might se 

dy 
g Chloe. 






'Till, painting 

The glorious su 

Outrival'd by t 

Of youthful, 

Lovely wa. 


chai 
she 


&c 


astern sk" 

teyes 
Chloe. 






You may 
ok at the b 


thin 

!1K:E 


stor 


an'.; 


of this, I 


u v,,:; 


be 




d my 


''.7 


g tc 




lofit. 

mureh 


I 



Tune—' Rothiemurche's 



When Cynthia lights •. 






id when the howling wintry bl 



And should th 


e howling wintry blas 


D.sturb my la 


sie's midnight rest ; 


I'.lfauldihee 


to my faithfu' breast 



fJl 



I... * 



ll l»..i.. . 



DIAMOND CABINET LIBRARY. 

it-while look., an 



torn m 
\\ .11 thou be m, 

Tbie pieee h» .1 l«-a»t 
tvrular paatoral i in* in 

it ii jut .ic reruiarl, r. 



Ir Clarke, parti, by we, of joke, 
fp lo lb. black k»y. of the barp- 
prcarr.e M>nie kind of rbjlbn. ; 



It of W.nc a I artula ll la, ibal, 
■n, ih» »oa. produced ibr rudim< 
audthc wm. (lark., with aoma 



JOm <* ' Saw J. ru, r- 

•"■•J. Iboufh rxi-J prrlfj well UKMlm 



■ h l ay ni, ,.. or.rn.aH,. ...d ll 



li.h product* -n. Ibn. i. a pr. 

1**1 rf'j V 



The a.r, if I undrrerend lb. •ipmilim of il 

..-rof .lU.pU 

- ira.n £ooa 
■k ~u{ to • Naarj'a tc 









. Ilb.nl 






ufk.ka.faia. U> jow know tb- k 

. or ou. ewoo^k. A rood •'«») 

'o^ETa.*.' VaTl^ui'"'^"'^.^, 5 ^' 
laow, we. in raapacj art oui fi 
^ ii^iu( U M^iut am;, M 



• - - wur in It. oral ead beat dreee in 

ll, ••Iccuid 

paeioral eoo'r. a epnnkling of tot old Seotlieh 
ha. a> iauaiiable 'if. oi.' 

-. a new edition of iba 
toot ia p. t68 of tkia .oiume, and propone! 
it for another tunc. Ihe alteration, arc unim- 
portant. Tne name Maria, be chanree lo 

lutes, aa ia p. SOI, ha introduces, 

•< Lo«e'. .erle»i wretch, unseen, unknown. 



but Ihi. 1000001 which I be«» ju.t riven too 

. ,.f .e.eial ,rer. .Va. 

No. io.bow,oo how difficult il i. to trace 

iba otir.o of our alt., I bate heard il reprau 

thal ihn •■■ an In.h air i nay 
1 Bel with an In.h rentlrman who alhrnied 
that be bad braid il in Irrlaud amour the old 

>. on ihe other hand, a coonle.. 



couple of b 

I tbaok }ou for admitting • f.'rairie-boro 
■Qod,' and I .hall t.k. oai. lo lur.ii.b ,oo 

lb. air. If'l catch BjBino'. mora tbao 

I I ..ill write a 

- Lurn wood' altogether. My 

I .n. eahamed, m, dear fellow, lo Bake the 
li| but in 

neb or poor. I proBiead Chloral a cop, of ,i ur 
tragi n.j boneal pride lo write 
. M uartactou. reuueet ia doubly 

ao, b, a tediooe apoloe;,. To make ,ou Mima 



■olor,. T 
i I ba.a a> 



the lad, .. not a liillc prood thai aba I. to 



No. LXIIL 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 



..'. I bare bad another 

«e, and a loor eooaul- 

lietniake the •Caledonian Hunt' ■ 

accordinrl;. Pray did it e.er occur to jou 
bow peculiarly well lb. Scotluh air. era 
adapted for .eraea, ia Ibe form of d.elorxe ? 
Tbi. edition oojrht lo baee teeo preferred, had lie tr.i pari of the air ia generally low. and 
.in lime. suited for a man a toiee, aaa lb« eeecnu p-rt, 



BURNS — CORRESPONDENCE. 



m agreeable 

a some of thi 
,e kind you 



them. Your ( 
the cold ground, 






by it. Some of jour Chlorises I suppose have 
flaxen hair, from jour partiality for this col- 
our; else we differ about it; for I should 



reading that she h 








She. 








The little swa 


How's wanton win 


I think excellent ; 






Though wafti 


ig o'er the flowery 








Dm ne'er to l- 










As meeting 


o' my Willie. 


Scottish and me! a 


s ^ol, f Englis^ve 


rses! The 










emble each 




He. 








The bee, that 


hrough the sunny 


Those you have 


manufactured f 


r • Dainty 


S.ps nectar in 




Davie,' will answ 
to find you have b 


r charmingly, 
gun your anecdo 


am happy 


Upon theTi 


my delight is poor 
ps o' Philly. 


not how long they 


be, fur it is imp 








any thing from yo 




ious. Let 




She. 




use no ceremon 


y in telling 


Th» woodbine 


in the dewy weet 



No. LX1V. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

19IA. November, 1794. 
Yon see, ray dear sir, what a punctual cor 



self for t 



of my le 









uch, t 



O Philly, happy be that day 
When rovin» through the gcth 
My youthfu'heart was Blown i 
And by thy charms, my Phi 



O Willie, aye I bless the grove 
Where first I own'd my maiden love. 
Whilst tnou did.t pledse the puwers above, 
To be my ain dear Willie. 



ling is my Philly. 



it's my ain dear Willie, 
onestlyhow you like it: a 



tion of Philhs 
lich unfits it'for 



feet, in lb. bi.i c«rt of boib lu.io.. 
I.r.l, drpend. w much of lh,ir I 



PIAM0N1) CABINET LIBRARY. 

■M with « lto> - •r.nnn.l.lp, I Imvf fr.ni- 

ieanirche.' la I. ManiM, bj w«) of kn 

• K.1.1.-I1.I1 .i.rii lo Itfiy'i iri/r. You w.li nll.rn 



Try 


I 


»,f. of AUiollorh. 


1*« Dot 1 


be t.-D,n 


M.C 


fib- nr-u«-.| q 



nfcmu la iIm 

r.C la.^ij mrlbou, II i. Ilk. ll.r („■, ,; Kr.« 
. Liuuchl ,i.l.. 



btfan 

1 

perdoa of lb' 

rb.rnnnr. 
lb.! II ... 



. I a Barter. 



„l.m. 



Tune— •• Ii 



.i than bam M i 



F.rewrll! H 



tg, brotaa btarl, uij K«ij t 

...d lir'rr 1Mb ...rr„ w . , rI . r 
h..l>: 






• ■ 



I -...i.o'rJ «i" BMh •nd '"tie «i' n»ir. 

- -i. J cere. 

I 



j . « the e:U» 

iboofbi . 
II. i men i. I 
J>J, mirth «ud good humour 



A lowmondo* IrooUe. tbould th»t be my ft*. 
• peowtberi il«': 

f our jiumey ti lui, 
... rued be be. 



Biad 



rt her anipper end iloyte oo 
! frae n*e. e 'en Id the jad e ae : 






- .. irreaialibk 

,UUld b. (it) 



. i!77 .,1 ll, 
do. I.e. olln. 



Hl.y, my Willie— «el Ull-.r m-, 

, 

Tell m< ib.l thou yet art true, 

. r....tf. .hull U for)ri»*n, 
AM »h-n Ibi. heart [.MnfluHlollK 

' Buy. o>) ■ 

Bui lo ihink I m l.elnj'd. 

Od ••« our km .hoold ii 
lo..kr ibafloa'rM lumi Lree.t. 

Slay, u... ■ 

Cold I bop. ihoo 



Ii may »muv the reader lo be told, that, an 
If you docotre.ieh the air, I ail! tend it to '"'» oecaeioo. ibe enii.ein.n a»d the lady b..e 
rbe Beouieh Li/a nab* In. ui- 



BURNS—CORRESPONDENCE. 



Well! I think this, to be do 
three pinches of Irish Blac'kgua 






on earth), that I much suspect he has, i 
plates, mistaken the figure of the stock and 

Tery rude instrument. It is composed of thr"- 
parts; the stock, which is the hinder thig 

the aperture be large enoush to admit t 
it°be held 6 by* the thicker °end of the 'thig 






i by the 



layin. 



flute. This of mine was made by a man 
the braes of Athole, and is exactly wha 
shepherds -wont to use in that country. 

However, either it is not quite properly bored 
in the holes, or else we ha^e not the art of 
blowing it rightly ! for we can make little use of 
it. If Mr Allan chooses, I will send him a 
sight of mine ; as 1 look on myself to ' 
kind of brother-brush with him. ' Pri( 



Nc. LXV. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 

Se&Nao. 1794. 
I acknowledge, my dear sir, you are not onl; 



dence, in so frequeotly nibbling at lines and 
couplets of your incomparable lyrics, for which 
perbaps, if you bad served me right, you 



chef d? autre. Lumps of pudding shall ce 



e one 


of my f 


amily dishes : yot 










will p!e 




ufin 


gtve us 
i yourse 


f in got 


d re spi f ri!s' 


Z'j. 


1 song, are 






use of 












Bes 


' : 










e to every 
at the au 


body. 


re eas.l, 
I particip 
some of o 








it is pre 


voking to 
inted from 


every 


for 


id, The 


nf'iro 


t,- 


The 


















ar VVillv, 


• She 








e.' The 


three 


1 


theread 


ely'of 


e no doub 


ii 



matter to you, and beg your opinion. 

curate description of the stock and°horn, and 
for the very gratifying compliment you pay 

Pantheon. He has seen the' rude insl/nment 

s to know wh°eiber 1, yoa beIieve n it , «o 

have ever been generally used as a musical 
pipe by the Scottish shepherds, and when, and 



tig and roaring. A f.iend of _ mine says, he 
ays (made of «ood instead" of your toJe^ind 
Do not, 1 beseech you, return any books. 

No. LXVL 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



:, in the Museum, 
till Jamie comes ham 
rt with Peter Pinda 



MY NANNIE'S AWA. 
ler green mantle blythe Nature arr 



DIAMOND CABINET LIIIRAHY. 



1 tit ro.w.drap a-id prim-cnr our woodland* 

Taej pain me ead boaoro, u> i»"i) ibej 

Um 
TWj ».oU at o* Nann e_end Stun,.'. a«a. 

Thoa lae'roek thai apri.g. <ra* ibe d-we o' ibt 

km 

.J lo «m«' lb- erey breaking 



Com, Aoluean. 
AmI »»b< m. - 



low doaa ibi. pUaao jou f 

Jab;*. ..-•&». ga'«f' 



N» LV. 1L 
MB BUBNs TO Mil Til 

I fear for ».« aaegi » bowreer. a few ma 

fort, m ID 
r. for lb*. 

- , and a. 111 

a aaoaraaa* in lb* imagerj. ojc. of um rbjro- 

A Kreai rriiic, A bra. o* ronca, n ibi 
lo«r tad a>K on Iba cxctaaie* ibwaaea Cor aon 

writing. In-lv.b.mji.c/ii. 

FOB A' THAT AND A' THAT. 

1. then for noneat po-renr 

Thai bup bi» head, and »' ibai ; 
The coward alar*, wo paae bin bj I 



Tor bu'i lb* gowd for a' lut. 

What iboor b oa hamelj fare we &... 

Wear boddia' graj. and a' ibai ; 

--it ailk.. and kna.e. tu« 

For a' rbat, and a' iba". 



Ye ae* ton birkie. t.'JiWJ, 

\Yha ilruu. and aiaraa, and a' thai i 

TIj.hi -h hundred, worabip al hit word, 
II,'. but a roof for a'lbat; 

Ilia riband, star, and a' dial, 
The mill of independent mind. 
" k»'k. and laugh, al a" Ibai. 



V 






lor a' ibat. and a' mat. 

Iliac, tad ..' thai 

Are higher rank, than a' thai. 



,o not gi»e jou the foregoing aor 
jour Look, but merelj bj 
utu-i fur tbt pee. i. not ,eallj poetrj. 
" be folio » ia 



Can jirld Br rujcbl but aorrox. 
jiM aprrading Ir 



,dn.j gra.elbej'll w.tber.Jr 
Farewell ! God b!e»a a. 



* Craigie-beTn wood ieetoa 
I at, and aboal I 
I age of that oi 



ndofDaau 



1 lb* Imt-wbiu lock.. 



BURNS — CORRESPONDENCE. 



No. LXVIIL 

ME THOMSON TO MR BURXS. 
Edinburgh, 30Ui Jan. 1795. 

as f« C«£gfe turn! wMchTihfnk™ Uy'con 



flower thai deck'd the ra 



The hird that charm'd his 

How aft her tale's the sa 
I tell you nos 

I do not know whether i 



No. LX1X. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
February, 1795. 

Tune— « Let me in this ae i,igut. ' 



let me i 



toad je cam agait 
you in, jo. 

Ckorxs. 



No. LXX. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSOX. 
Eeclefechax, T.h February, 1795. 



ia of the predica 
hich; capacity I 



id the dying agonies of a sow, undtr 
tccouut, exceeding good company. 



add 
has 


.atelL 

10 M\ 


;;il 


very o 


get 
uiys 


-' 



day from Dumfries. { 



itslowish time, it would mal 
i should think it worthy ofyou 



As 1 am just going to bed, I wish you a goo 

No. LXXI. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 

25(A February, 1793. 



S-- 



DIAMOND CABINET HIIHARY. 



drunk or eober, tour * mini! ie Hnr mu.ldj, ' 
lull h«>» d apla'j.d Ureal addr... in cl.r alo.e 
.. .. Ha I -•- E <> I Ml. and ol ih. 

.am. li*M lakre •»•) itM inurl.ci.-v ibal ulbrr- 
«,.. «..uW I.«t. attached 10 hi. enlr.alira. 1 

I t.d hu|r. )ou .uiild t'- arrr.ird .oni. 

iliii ■! I*»l»ft«i«i *mt hi nhllin 



N i | \ l L 

> u i,i UN. ro ^u raoMKm. 



Ur, •Uxb.K.rocb Mat' 

• aanBag "oodiark. «•;, 

. lb] l.j. 
lb) aoolhiaf low M 

A ( liO, If tin Ibal c 

I i »u i««<b b.r baaile 

.. .I'diMUiOibf;. 

► laj. ••• Ibj lull. m*l. unkind. 



TkMIrl 

Or ■>) , 
Ln aa* kn->« jour m; : : 

IN CBLOMI BBOta ILL. 



Lonf . to-,' lb. nigbi. 
uJu'hlruldo/lorVo^ 



\\ h.ie m, is 
I. ^o ibe c 
i-oog, it 



T.kr aurbl tUi of II""', 
llul mij I'bloru .pure u.c I 

Hon do jnu like ihr forfjroini; • The Iri.b 
• ir, •• Humour, of film, '• lea great favour,!. 
. I .„,i,r. ui,.l .... .x.rul Ibr .ill; .lull Ih lb. 

rtM fee ii. l'k.. uriiiru f u r°iio"7ollo'«!" 
B M.. 
Tunc-' llutm,ur. uf <.|r,,.> 

. ' •»<<! injri;. Id foreign I:. nd. 



. brigbt-beaniliia; n 



l.r 






Far dr.irr lo in. >r. jun buinLI. br- in 

dIhmU and row.n lurk lov.ir 

J tripping •mini; the Mild 

A.lialenu.g lb. Iiiiiirl. a/I wander. o,i Jeau. 

. thf Ir r,r ,u ib^ir get auniit 
>.l.).. 
' And cauld Calaatoote'l blaii on lb* »«.. ; 
■Mad »o,di..,d. lb. I ikin lb. 

baunt 0* ih. I, rani 

Ilia alat.'a apid) furci., and gold bubblinc. 



h... Lo.e'i -rilling feller., tbecbaiueo' bl 
Tune—' Laddie, Ii* near EM.' 



1«i. lb. bewiicbing, awe 



Sair do I f.ar tbai lo hope ia denied ma ; 
Hair do I fear ib.i drap.u- maun abide mi 
llul Ibo' Ml fonunr .bould fale u. lo art. 
<Vu.ru -bail >be br ,u ui. bveom fur mar, 



Let me bear trim jo'i. 





No. 


LXSIIL 




MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 


hen' I saj 


t think, 


my good sir 
ice to (he ii 


that I ha 
°L U Z § a 






e design and 






'a Sam 


rday Night 




pinion, on 


i of the 


happiest productions 


liana pen 






ously disa 










- 




i tor jour por 


rait. Ithi 


rikinci, 1; 




a> far as I c 




nurphiz. 




uld make th 




££!"J! 


ur fain 


ly every we 


V. Tell 1 



BURNS.— CORRESPONDENCE 



And feel through every ve.n Love' 
roll. 

"Well this is not amiss. Yon see 

more punctual. Iain just now u, 



No. LXXIV. 
ME BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

ALTEEJD FRJ3I AN OLD ENGLISH SOKl 



potion of jour applause, it will raise jour hum- 
ble servant's phreuzy to any height jou want. 
I am at this moment " holding high converse" 
with the Muses, and have not a word to throw 
away on such a prosaic dog as jou are. 



No. LXXV. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



parcel (I was out , 
at once. My most , 






bom, from that propensity t( 



Mark yonder pomp of cos 






The gay, gaudy glare of vanity and aj 
The polish 'd jewel's blaze, 



The fan. 
Bnt never. 

But did jc 



No. LXXVI. 
MR THOMSON TO MR BU T RNP. 
13lA May,1795. 



DIAMOND CABINET LIH11AUV. 



V.Ian '• produc 



O.po.111011 .ppe.rrd ... 
...d .Ufrreatrd wbom he .Lould b« 



UfUking, whicb rgulj 
Dot h..c 

...UUIUi.ttl.D, bj 

■ 



S . 1 WVI1. 

Mil : 
1 • w .-...,., ... I ; .... I . 

. Ml 

tbj |MVtl ..Dior. bP ,.. m, lad. 

la fan. a f.„ dam. at .bo*. . 

■ 

areaad *J 

- .....um.ul 

Tax — ' TL.« i. no roj an. H»uk. 
O Mi I* -o n, d- ain laaaia 



S»a • bonn>«, tloomine. Mraifbt. and U 
And lang baa bad raj baart iu ibrall ; 

O th» .. no, ate. 



Uui eli-ic at lirln are loier. - ■, 

Wbrn kind Ion 

U lb., i. no, ic. 

Ii ma; r.rapr ilia courtly .park.. 



Do jou know that tot! bar. rou.ed ihr tor- 

.... .1 U.i f II. bai - 

be .a" to art to mule h„i,.n" 'l 

nlra.e to prra.nt to mj valued Irinid Cunu.ng- 

I mcloa. lb. .beet opan, bolh for jour 111- 
I..I im ..... com ih. way, ' (> 

..id .. ,1 ..ralrrmrl, pro!. tile the < lark.-'. 

n.tth rotuad rrie.ii. I apa.k will HOS l" 

ii.. tag* .1 liwJolau . 
I.k. .be nong, .1 m., p, .. Boottiao <rr.r.. Is 

I. Iinr. maj follow. 

a.. couipv.cd bj a lad). 

1(1 Mil I I NM.M.II.W. 

■ ha. clad .he etom In green. 

.... „.. ,.,,. MO 

Ika Ib.nr - 



m jon wimpllng burn 

. -. . ar.; 
M. Mr ».. ance .hat Carrie., .1,. .... 

Uaa acoreb'd bj fountain, drj. 

The litlle Bow'rrt'. peac-ful lot. 

In \ui.drr elHff that grown, 
Wh.ch. «..tb. I.nnr.', Il.gbl. I wot. 



Thr wake 



I'd la. 'rock warbling .pr.i.p., 
ib. .be earl, .kj. 
; ol.iaa bar daw; winga 
.e'.ro.j eje, 



BURNS CORRESPONDENCE. 



So Peggy ne'er I'd known! 

That tongue bis woes can tell ! 
Within whase bosom, save despair, 

SCOTTISH SONG, 

That blooms sae far frae haunt o' man ; 
It .haded frae the e'eniu' £un. 

Yon rosebuds in the morning dew 

How pure, amang the leaves sae green ; 

But purer was the lover's vow 
They witness'd in their shade yestreen. 

All in its rude and prickly bower, 
That crimson rose, how sweet and fair I 

Bui love is far a sweeter flower 
Amid life's thorny path o' care. 

Wi' Chloris in my arms, be mine ; ' 
And Ilhe world, nor wish, nor scorn, 
Its joys and griefs alike resign. 

Written on the blank leaf of a copy of 1 

but with the most ardent sentiments o/n 
friendship, I have so often sung under the nai 



Since thou, in all thy youth ai 

Must bid the world adieu, 
(A world 'gainst peace in cons 



Did nip a fairer flower.) 

Since life's gay scenes must eham 
Still much is left behind ; 

Still nobler weallh hast tbou in sto 
The comforts of the mind » 

Thine is the self approving glow, 
On conscious honour's part ; 

And, dearest gift of heaven below, 
Thine friendship's truest heart. 

The joys refined of sense and taste 

And doubly were the poet bless 'd 



Une bagatelle de I'amiti, 



No. LXXVIIL 
MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
Edinburgh., 3d Aug. 1795. 



his will be delivered to you by a Dr Briati- 
<n, who has read your works, and ppnts for 
le honour of jour acquaintance. I do not 



e just been gladdened, and my 



, yours ! It is si 
am delighted w 
,ell as your elegan 



a verses to Chto- 
duced to alter ' O 



ne, ' Thy Jeany will venture v 

ink the latter either reads or si 
he former. I wish, therefor. 



to give Mr Cunningham what 






No. LXXIX. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 



Far, far from thee I wande. 



DIAMOND C. Ill MI' UUItAIlY. 



jun.l n> .row!. • winirj *k*, 
i«l I lu'i eat :h bad of ho[M* ami 



fUlbl i bean, 

' .1 fale u> turn., lot*. 

Hal dr.erj though the moremli ll».t 
c l«< m. (bin. nn| .bell .n.ei! 

1n*l on!) nj oCoierr .»"1 



\\. 

Ml BDBltS TO MSI 

• - «r MM down lb. I. 



II. .pak o' lb. .ui. ■ ■; boo - 

A>4 »ow 'd far e»f tot. b« we* dj ing i 
I .*.d b. m fUl d « • 

Ik* Ue* lorgi'e a. f>. May, for Ijing, 
Tk« Lord foegi'e ox- : - 



Bat ikoufht 1 mujbi hu aiur 
Bui thjaght I m gbl ha* waur offer*. 
Hut »h«i aid joa ibmk ! in * fortnig bi orU**, 



a In the original MS. ibit line rum. • II 
up lb. Ueiraleck lo m) Meek t-unn K*m : 
Mr Tbomeoa objected to tbi. word, a* well a 
u lb* word • Dalgaroock id ibe neit «er>e- M 



i b.ud of parage up amer.g ib< Lauiher h.l!., 
m ibe eoabne* of lb,, count,.' • Daleamoek 

Nib. where an .i '.: • ruined church and a 
iurni. ground.* Boa m ai, lei Ibe br»t line 

L u ahraji a pn» .. iLrow oat aaj Ihiog 



Hum y* bow Ibe j'*J I could bear her. could 
C.ur,, t| bow lb. j«d I could bear bar. 



1 gard lo lb. ir..i. ol" Dalcarnoca, 

I flowr.U •• I'd MM • • 

I rio-r.d .. I'd ...n a warlock. 



Ai.dV.M I waahUdrar 1. .... 
I •■ rar'd f r mi rou.in fu ' coiilby and iwrri, 
. I.: I..r aul'd abachl'l 
Sal aawwa* ! bow b. Ml a .wear n. ■ 
1I..I haWTMMl how b. f.ll a .w.ar n. 

He b.gg.d fur OaewMa-l ! I wad H bi. wifr, 

I 

I 

1 KM 

Tnc— <Tu. • ilaaVtaakM Hum'* aaitflw*' 

.lit l.lllbi lo.er. 
II. im b. o...r BMl 

And Rue all bi* bop., ibe lie. 

O »b.. arhlla fancj. raptured .luoib-r., 
I llotal til lb. tb.m.. 
| ...jlJ.t iboo. cru.l. 
\S ... thj lo.er from bia dream. 



naa**JUg i.a.aliooa of the loolnacb*. to bate 

No. 1. 1 
MR THOMSON TO ME BLRXS. 

3d June, 1795. 
KV DEAR SIB, 

I lb!, a. 
light,' are lender and beautiful; and jour 
railed lo ibe ' Loibian Laaaie' la a maeier piee« 
or ha humour and rw.ir.u-. Tb. fragment for 
be ' Caledonian hum* ii quit* .ailed lo tb* 
iriginal mea.ure of Ibe air. and, a* n plaruet 

itrii-r, a* I ..id before, have bad Baeeb*n*li«o 
eorda, had ir to pleaaed ih. poei ; bul n»>-»' >,-. 
■e ba.e received. Lord make at 
thankful. 



No. L-iXXIL 
MS THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 



ES? 



J1NS — CORRESPONDENCE. 



he >weel yellow darlings wi' Geordie 



.d'lhouga's 1 , 



a high it 



a lady: 



-Uf 



on ihe Scottish list ; but li 


ey are now nam 




vn good subject 








ii much urged b 


some friends to publish a co 












friend Allan; what is your 





No. LXXXIII. 
MR BURKS TO MR THOMSON. 



appellation to a Scottish pas 

nt description of beauty. -Of this also again. 
God bless youl* 

No, LXXXIV. 
MR THOMSON TO NR BURNS. 

ost excellent sons, and with you the subiect 
ed. It is 



nappy K 



id you approve" of my pro- 



for my remaining volume of P. Pindar.- 
Peter is a delightful fellow, and a first favoui 

idea of publishing a collection of our songs i 
octaTo with etchings. I am extremely willin 
to lend every assisiance in my power. Tb 
Irish airs I shall cheerfully undertake the ta= 
of bnding verses for. 

I have already, you know, equippeu thre 

kind of rhapsoov to another Hibernian melody, 
which I admire' much. 

HEY FOR A LASS WI' A TOCHER. 

Tune — « Balinamona Ora.' 



Then hey for 
Then hey for 



le Dutch boors of Ostade are s 



No. LXXXV. 

MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 

April, 179ti. 
r it will be som 
! "By Babe 

.ve sat ana wept. - almost ever sine 

last; I have only ki 



\las, my dear Thomson, I fe 



nd of sii 



le faster, the faster it grows 



Rtieu 



* Onr poet neve 
Mj Thomson,* 



DIAMOND CAI1INF.T LIBRARY. 



Tbit will K, deli.ered to ,ou b, ■ Mr. 1 
111. lop. UUwiewij '' ,b ' Ohfci lax-rn li-r . 

ami where our fr«-nd C.e.k.- tad I had "■• - 1 m 

,"tr. I am bit-hit drl.g led wicb A., ho.iele... I mute on llij e 

Mr All...'. i t, •* ■ • Balwak e lha .I.e.. a' twaw 



through ll; 









Ran 



* hr.lcli, &c. 



I. f.ult'c. r rf.c..o... 1 ,,-.. ad.mrc • Turn. | »„.«» by lb* dear a„H .mil*. 

im.p.k-. 1 What lliu laaei ... •J.unj .*..l i , , .. i , iht lot. , 
Kc.de. lb. C-m.l. b-,..< ... h-r Bar why arc* in* l«n 






near in Ib.t »orld- A. tor w 
•but lb.! .. a utijecl ! 

No. I.XWV 

vu reojuaa n m r sta 



Here', a brellb, Sic. * 






No. LXWVIII. 
Mil 111 HNS TO MR THOMSON. 

Tbi. will be delivered by • Mr Leave, a 

,.-un r fellow at linaotaavai m.r.l. A. he will 

be a d., or iwo in low.,. ,ou will have leleure, 

. ..ml II yoe 

ha. • ..pare half hour In .pmd will, h.rn, I 

• h.ll |.lac jour kw.dnc. lo my account. I 

ba.e no eop.e. of Ibe ...„ r . I bate .enl you. 

u " ...d I bar* l.ken a fane, lo re.iew Ibeoi all. 

and poe.,bl, may raaad taa« el Hum | ... wbta 

I II I hank you for 

_™1 b* tba aaibar oi 6«a wtll-wrltua .oi.r;. ih.n 






etorigb... bu. a. yet I cannot b„„ 

..g baaltb. I ban ...,» nam I 
ii my complaint .. a flying gout ; 



;.. I doubt oat. 



Da let •. know how Clegborn la, and ra- 
:■ ban ban deiivrred to yoa • 

m..mb a/o. I am .1.11 ter> poorly , but .'uould 



No. LX.XWII. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
MV DtABSI*, 

which I 



No. LXXXIX. 
MR BURNS TO MR THOMSON. 
1«(A July. 1796. 



I o^ mentioned to too an air which I her, ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ indep.ndem - , 

. I'.*. Wt.X' if .- «aab an, n^ ««» «»»«'• ~ •« "V-Jou for fi™ pound. 

"'^"o^uteouoo'oo^noir^rir™ tLly L " d ,h " ' » m d J iD K- h " «'"-»««<l • P'« 
begun iU 

CAorat. * In ih. latlar io Mr Thornton, the thrw 

are* Utaitt only art given, and Mr I bom.oo 

HTe*. a ha.lth to ana I lo'e deer. ,up[>e»ed our poei had never cone far. bee. A- 

Tbou art .weel at ibr .m le wbe'n fond fourth .Ian/., which complete th.« eioui.li- 
aong. the I..I 6oi«hed offspring of hi> muw. 

M tbc parting lear-J 



d.d not lite 



i, ana will infallibly put me inK 
God's sake, send me ihat sum, 
trnofpost. Forgive me this e 



BURNS. —CORRESPOXDENX'n:. 
by Mrs Hyslop, 



bey are on the other side. Forgive 
SONG. 



No. XC. 

MR THOMSON TO MR BURNS. 
UUi July. 179G. 

Ever since 1 received your melancholy letter 
* These verses, and the letter ioclosing theai : 



cellor of the Exchequer bi 
ly, raj good sir, is it not \ 



Full well thou know'st I love thee dear, 


labour; r 


emember Pope publishe 


d the Iliad by 


Couldst thon to malice lend an ear ! 


subscript 


on. Think of this, m 


dear Burns, 


O did not. love, exclaim • Forbear '. 








Nor use a faitliful lover so. ' 


■rice. Yc 




ed of the res- 


Fairest maid, &c 


pect and f 


riendship I bear you, 


o impute any 




thing 1 sa 




H.ve. Yours 


Then come thou fairest of the fair. 


"- 








The ve 






And by (hat beauteous self I swear, 


finely. I 


am happy to see you 


an st.ll tune 




your lyre. 






Fairest maid, &c* 









feeble state of their author. Mr Syme is of 
opinion that he could not have been in any 
danger of a jail at Dumfries, where certainly 

sily of impjoring aid" from Edinburgh. 116 But 

unsettled, and the horrors of a jail perpetually 
haunted bit imagination. He cied on the 21st 



APPENDIX. 



Ii mn gral'fj corioeitr la know Mini particular of tha hittory of ih. preceding Pnemt, on 
t.M ,! >Mit lUrd baa bean buherto fuui.d-d ; and with ibi. »i.w the following 
■ irom a letter "I liilbeti Uuiua. Ibe bruiher ul our I'o.i, «,.a In. fn.nd aud cou- 



» I M. of March I i 



el., 






•ing printed. «nd ll.ll it would bo wall 

nit of i..i. i tini I |hoq*hl it 

" Ira. I Mjwai, if not aaperior. lo man) ol Al. 

nr. and much other Meottut portrr, H I M o J 
.oii.i.l pr.nripe.lj II. the kuack of ihr ax. 

i.d 111. tOOttUlem of lb* 
!(».«• ecercclj eaeined arTreled, but appear- 

la be lb* natural language al 

• ral Um inaiiilillaaji ibai a«r <a 

- I.ould ICO a-begging. 

-: >.., well plreard Villi n,, c„. 

. wt laUfctd of eending .( lo aoma 

>rei>nr, but a. ibia plan affordad no oppor- 

Ull of knowing bow II would Ilk., lb* idea 

I lb« winter followinr. u 
' »••■ «*■ <"' c "«' '» 
.11 rould jet point out 
I a> iooij Ibal Iba . 

bentaf u 
■ b. Rob- I 
in Hunt. • 

road fro, 



' 






The eurioc 



.unla and f 

.ih'a".! "h Boraboak! ' t 



perton- 



up a (hop of if i 
.'ne motl bobbj 



■aMlll ana 



little trade, lie bad 
I lb. bottom of which, 
iptciljl, be bad adrer- 



roue ii lo anj poetu: exertion, be woold give got a 
mj la the impulae, and embodt ibe lb 
rbtou. I/be h.t on iwo or three eunzee H 

p.eaae bin, be would iban think of proper in- diiorderi al lb* .hap, gratia. Hobert waa al 

troductor. , coa nee ting, and concluding nan- a maaon meeting, in Tarbolton, when the 

■ie middle of a poem waa often • Dominie' unfortuna'elj made loo o.ienla- 

nrat produced. It waa, I tnmk, in aummer, liosa a duplar of bit medical ok ill. At be 

1781, when in the mleraal of harder iaboor, parlei in the eaeulng from themixiurrof pe- 

be and I were weeding in the garden '(kail- dinlrr and pbja.e at Ibe place where be de- 

fard), that be repealed to me the principal part acr.bee bia meeting with Death, one of tha<« 

of thit epialle. 1 oelie.e ibe Erai idea of Boo- floating ideat of apparition, he ma 

ert'i becoming an author waa alarted on tbit le rr lo fir Moon, created hit mind : ihit a-l 

o:cuton. I waa much pleaecd with the epit- him la work for ibe real of ibe war beta-. 

tic, aod taid to h.m 1 wu of op nioa it wou.d Tbete circumttancee be related when be re- 



BURNS. —APPENDIX. 

was letting the Edinburgh,' I be 



i Daisy were compos. 



thing peculiai 
ls worship ( 
head of a fam 



tnrday Night.' 



["unlettered 
now, if the 
aste of Mi 



nuuy to this poem, agrees with t 



bus ' Hallow Fair of 
wise furnished a hint 
' Hoi J Fair.' The 



the resolutio 


a of publishing was 


nearly taken. 


Robert had 




ailed Luath, 




real favourite. The 


dog had been 


killed by th 


e wanton cruelty o 




the night b 


efore my father's de 


ath. Robert 


immorality 


hat he should like I 


q confer snch 


friend Luat 


, and that he had a 


great mind to 


introduce so 






title of • Sta 


nzas to the Memory 




ped Friend 




given up for 


the Tale as 






ly the creatu 






ted for the 


purpose of holding 




favourite L 


ath. The first time 


Robert heard 



eft in the Room w 



stanzas, p. 197, were 
■ be slept. It was to Dr 
lock's letter was addres- 

U Hen" my father feued his little property 



*a>-r 



. My fait 



of ti 
Jehad free 



if the adjoining land, fori 



m to r 






:e for it people generally 

ing in Ellisland, when 
is peregriations through 
e time at Carse-bouse in 
ritfa Caplain Robert Rid- 



" Unco pack and thiol 
.wing of Alloway-K.ii 






i scene of many a good story of witcht 
>aritions, of which he knew the Captai 
y fond. Ths Captain agreed to the re 



qu..l, proi.JeJ the poet would furt.i. 
Ruij, lo b* printed alone with il • 
Sbanler" WM produce 



e a lifkl ... Allow*] Kilt, l...„,r 
.ilj to look in, h.s seeing • danr* of 
■ lib Ik* d..il plajmr on lb* bag-pipa 

tb. -cam, 
which mad. b..n v. fir i 

• .... : " — -tib 

U he well atte«lrd bj 
r .l. in thai nngbboui- 



\H CABINET I.IIIIURY. 

language. Though a rnjmrr from bit rorlict 
jeara, ■( lea. I from I. . Mrllal Inpi 
•oflrr p>H.om, il wa. nol lilt .rr, lately i| ia i 
the appLu.c, pcrbapa the parlialil,, of friend- 
ship, awakrurd hi. taniij >u far aj lo uiaka 
hi... ihlah in) lbln| of hi. north ahowlnr : 
and mm ff ihe following work, were conpu.. 
rd w.lh a rata to th* praaa. To imiiH him- 
►ell w.ih the lilll. creation, of hi. own fane,, 
• mid the to. I. .nd fal.gu*. of a labor.uua lift : 
lu traiorr.br ibr var.oua feeling., the lovr,. 
ibr grief.. I l| hi. own 

- 
f ■ warU, a)**}* u alitn MtM, 



E2 

Icoaol 



ban tn.Mot.rd. I am a/raid, o.a. Ml 
d.og anou e h. but ,ou *UJ Ml] m.k 

» 

taarnock. ■ Death .nd Df Hornbook 
• bo ...J Jallllllj M I,,.., when he » 



d«, | lb.. 



•ddranalotb. I. 
• . 

Tb* A^.re.. 10 It- 
Snaaaon'. i 

I a. en tb. ..a. ... 
pr., r .« ■ \.,.,. .Hi .1 . H... 
Maa*|' 'lb. firat Paalas,' » Pi 

( Ibr n.orl ..b P.. 
to W«. U<.a. >hh l»*a i*. Poem. ;• • To 



.' "Tha glooaaj h.gbi ,' 
I ,oa ba». ne.er arm lb* tr.l edition, i 



u> Iba bar of public lucf/mcni. 

PSKFACI TO TIIL UK- I 
OF BI'*.I.S'm POrilx PlUUsHKD AT 
aUUbUUIOCa. 

•' Tm following Triflea an not ibr produc. 



port b, rale, b* ..of. inr a< 

Mra be Ml and a*, in hinaeii ana 

id him, in t.» aaa li 



• b* app-ara in ibr public charac- 

irr 01 ... aatb. i, ha MM .1 with t'»r and tram. 

10 thr rhiming irlLr, 

it.. 1 r,,o ha. ... ■bactrra. Bamtltw Bard, 

m.k. a ah.ft lo jngl.'afrw'do,v 

rh,mra logeiber, looking upon himself aa a 

•• it .• ... o b aaiiaHon -1 thai arifbrataaj p»n 

our language, our i.afio. , and our iprcira, that 

•mu. to a 

I U possessed •/ acme | 

Iba manner 
b. baa donr, would b* a maniruvra below Ibr 
woral cbaractrr which br hopra hi. wor.l 
•Mam will r.rr gi.r b.m. Ilul la Iba geniur 
• I a K.m.ai, or ibr glor.ou. dawning, of lha 
poor unfortunata rargus~>n, he. ...h cuuall, 
.....fleeted ..nrrril,, C-.rlarr.. lb. I r»l. ,1. bia 

h gheat pul.a of .ao.li, hr haa not il.r moat 
•■.on., thraa iwo ju.tl, adml-. 



own lo ban* 

fling b.m. if ha drarrrra it. it, It. I dr.re.« 
' . ; or lie boaom — 10 br dnllnrui.b- 
I... rradrra, part cuiarll iba Ira/O- 

rd and iba pol.tr, wl.a ma, honour him wiib • 
prruaal, ibai ihrj will make rrrr, allowance 

if after a fair, candid, and impartial crit.ciain, 

c»^ do b, otbrn — i-rt him ba condrmnru, 
without mere,, to contempt and oblirioo." 



C.1LBEKT t 

Da CuttRlE, LireipooL 



BURNS. —APPENDIX 



To this history of the poems which are con- 
tained lit this volume, it may be added, that 
our author appears to have made little altera- 
tion in them after their original composition, 

able additions have been introduced. After 
he had attracted the notice of the public by hi; 

of his sentiments, and some of these which re- 
main among his manusripts, are by persons ol 
great taste and judgment. Some few of these 

he rejected ; anu, though something has by this 
means been lost in point of delicacv and cor- 
rectness, jet a deeper impression is left of the 
strength and ong.naliiy of his genius. The 



counted for 'also, by the circumstance's undei 

to the si'lence and solitude of his study, atu 
commit his verses to paper as they arrange*, 
themselves in his mind. Fortune did not af- 
ford him this indulgence. It was during the 
toils of daily labour that his fancy exertec 
itelf; the muse, as he himself informs us, 

and it was often many days, nay weeks, aftei 
down!" During all mis time, by Frequent re" 

partiality of taste with which written language 
is reviewed and retouched after it has faded on 

exerted. The original manuscripts of many 
of his poems are preserved, and they differ in 
nothing material from the last printed edition. 



Erskine, a spunkie Noreland Billie, 
there appears, in his book of manuscripts, the 



I'hee, sodger Hugh, my watchman stented 

If Bardies e'er are represented j 

I ken if that your sword were wanted 

But when there's ought to sav auent it. 
Ye're at a stand. 

• Sodger Hugh' is evidently the present Earl 
of Eglmtou, then Colonel Montgomery of 

county of Ayr. Why this was left out in 
printing, does not appear. The noble Earl 
will not be sorry to see this notice of him, 



And Eve was like my bonnie Jean, 

A dancin', sweet, young, handsome quean, 

Wi'gUlllles, U ,-all. 



She was nae get o' moorland tips, 

was. at first, as follows : 

She was nae get o' runted rams, 

bhe was the flower o' Fairlie lambs, 
A famous breed ; 

' U iVlailie dead. 

It were a pity that the Fairlie lambs should lose 

4. But the chief variations are found in the 
poems introduced, for the first lime, in theeui- 

1792. Of the poem written in Friar's Curse 
Hermitage there are several editions, and one 
of these* has nothing in common with the 

effort on the subject, received considerable aL 

Instead of the six lines beginning, 

Say man's true genius estimate, 
in manuscript the following are inserted. 

Did thy fortune ebb or flow ? 
Wert thou cottager or king ? 
Prince or peasant ?— no such thing. 



rouble than his 
trary, 'Tamo' 



tely. They came after 



* This is gi'.en in the Correspond 



Th«. ft 



DIAMOND rAIIl.NET LIBRARY. 

\\h :,.ummrr, | 



of other ob- 



6. • Tb. Addrw. lo Ih. .hid. of Thonion } 
D»r. »I7. t» r ." m lb. a,.uu.-r,pt cu|,J ... lb. 



A cuptl hi . 



Ik| bUd. ; 

W.th •(. • ho«rj hai.ouri rl.nl. 
Sun<->., null ••ir-«p|.rovm( mind, 
K.cli trMlOM oo hi. bouuij led, Uc. 

Rj Ih. ■JlOTtjIla* Id ll.e prii.l.d porm, II mar 

" l.i. Ibaml .nr.n. lo 



GLOSSARY. 



The ch and gh have always the guttural sound. The sound of the English diphthong oo, is com 
monlj spelled otz. The French u, a sound which often occurs in the Scottish langunge, 
marked oo, or ID. The a in genuine Scottish words, except when forming a diphthong, c 
followed bye mute after a single consonant, sounds generallj like the broad English a in icaL 
Tbe Scottish diphthong <s, always, and en, very often, sound like the French, e masculine 
The Scottish diphthong ey, sounds like the Latin eu 



Al 1 " 


*.7ta 


- 




d, abro 


up. 
ea'dth. 


- . 












Art', 


ffj An 




Arc- 


, before 




Ar'et 


, often. 




Agle 


, offth 


right 








Am, 


penny, 


Airle,, 




an°oaih 




Aits, 


oats. 





Asklent, asquint ; aslant, 



AughtJ posses 


ion; as, In a my au"ht, in all 


Beuk.abook. 


my possessio 




Bicker, a kind of wooden dish ; a short 


Anld lang sy 




Biel or B.eld, shelter. 


Auld, old. 




Bien, wealthy, plentiful. 




, auld farrant, sagacious, cun- 


Biggin, building; a house. 












Bill, a bull. 








Aw^'lhete^c 


cfbarlev. oms. *-e. 


Bing, a heap of grain, p( 5alo&-, &a. 



Ba\ Ball. 

Backets, ash boards. 

Baeklins coining, coming back, r 



ing large bones, stont. 

i a family of children, a brood. 



Beet, to add fuel to 
B.ld, bald. 
Belyve, by and by. 



318 



Ul'RNS.-CLOSSARY. 



Birken-ekaw, Uiicbco-»oo<l->baw, * i 

•rr fellow. 

ll.mug, the i.«iee <A pairidgrw, 4c when ihej 
.ur.ug, 

I. ...i.-. » ,lir.».llcd dwerf; • term of 



luce al cournr) ueddinf-.-. 



Uleeft audlm!.' 

Mwi.urf, Lie/.. 

IlirlbW. W ■«■» 

U.i-k. a hill, w 



luue-xowo, o..« si ihuw. terran, ■-» *« 

■ 

I i. a Leer.. 



BOfbl, ■ |.eu. 



-oiliug of llie « an 
u.i of V.irn... 

>e <>r nrllflnf iLe > 



llu.rdlj , eium made ; truaii mac 
""""! beetle IL 

HumuiiuK, bumuiiiiK aa bee*. 



. In, 

- | .eeipic ( 

brukdf'i, reeled foewari 

- 



GallaT, fre,b ; wii.il; refre.bim 

»•> Cw-»->, r ..,lU, UHldj . 



Ik.wi, or 



e, jnite. liquid. 
g. a bridge. 



. '. . 

f. a chirp; to chirp. 
CL... or (.Urti, a jo. - 



BURNS.- 

Chimla or Chimlie, a fire-grate, a fire-place. 
Cbiuila-Iug. ihebresiue. 

Chockin, 'choking. 

Chow, to chew : Cheek for enow, side bv side 

Chulfie, fat-faced, 

Ciachan, a small village aLout a church ; 



Claught, snatched at, la 



Cloot, the hoof of a cow, sheep, ,<vc. 
Clootie, au old name for the devil. 
Clour, a bump or swelling after a blow. 
Cluds, clouds. 
Coasin, wheedling. 

Cockernony, a lock of hair tied upon a girl 

h f ea 1 ' t h Ca? * 
Cog'* wo°uden dish. 
Coggie, diminutive of cog. 
Coila, from Kyle, a district of Ayrshire ; 

called, saith tradition, from Coil, or Coilu 

a Piciish monarch. 



Cookit, appeared, and disappeared by fits. 

Coot, 'the ancle' or foot. 

Cootie, a wooden kitchen dish :— also, thot 
fowls whose legs are clad with feathers ai 

Corbies, a species of the crow. 

Corn'd, fed with oa'ts. 

Couthie, kind, loving. 

Co we', 'to terrify ; to keep under, to lop ; i ocll 
fright ; a brauch of furze, broom, &c. 



Cozie, s.iug. 
Coziely, snuglv. 
Crabbit, crabbed, fretful. 



the noise of an ungreased wheel. 



sely, cheerfully; courageously. 
ration, &c 



din*™" 
Curigtl 

Curpin, the crupper. 

Cutty, short ; a spoon 

Cutty-stool, the stool of repentance. 



DADDIE, a father. 
Damn, merr.meut ; fo 
Daft, merry, giddy ; f 



irofee 



u ihn. 



Dainty, plea' 

Daise or Daez, to stupify. 

Dales, plains, valleys? 

Darklins, darkling. 

Daud, to thrash, to abuse. 

Daur, to dare. 

Daurt, dared. 

Daurg or Daurk, a day's labo 

Davoc, David. 

Dawd, a large piece. 

Dawtit or Dawtet, fondled, c; 

Dearies, diminutive of dears. 

Dearthfu', dear. 

Deave, )o deafen. 

Deil-ma-care, no matter, for s 



Ill K.\S._(JLOSSARY. 



P.'l I, cVane.l from chaff. 

li.mc. io«o»i,iu P u.h. 

. >, Ir.in. 





K.irin, • fairing ; • preeeot. 


Dool. eorrO« i 10 ling dool, 10 laDJfOl. 10 


Fallow, f.llow. 




Pkad.dM lad 




F.rl.acek. of oaten bread. Ace. 




. car. | lo WojOIc, 10 car, l.,r. 




K..I.I. troubled. 




K..irr.i>,',„, Fa.len'a area. 


IKxiahi. «.. or »cr. aMa. 


Feuld. a luld ; lo fold. 




Fuildlw, folding. 


Hou^.k.lp-r, ore lb.1 .'1,1-1 IK- oil. 


Phi, hall. 




F.ule. want, lack. 




Fa«aoi.i. decent, .eemlr. 


■ .'.!.. ean. 


Ftal. a Grid | .moolb. 


■ fort*. 


. 


Doalr, ». J<U «,(b (t 


Prut, lYighlad. 


aal~p. 




IK...... a. OT are U* .bl., CaOOOl. 




1 


. i.'ing. 


. impotent. 


F«ke. S .n^nuer^"'/.'^! with 


■g , 10 drerrl. amour 








■ . .illj. 


' ?pW. 


Fecklj. nearlj. 


•-f > alow enunciation. 


raj . a tr. 


i r, io drop. 


Km., feud, er.mil,. 


-.ut it. 


i i, ''•"",''. fch&aMd 1 


- 






drr ibe ik.n ; a Laid pratl. Ic.i, 


Drwld.aa. lb. br<*eb. 


or lop of a bill. 


1 


1 rial .iruggle; Sgbl. 


nfl U tbt cropper. 


■ulorl.bl,. 


..ouder: • wonder: a 


■ 


l.xn of cor.lrrr.pl. 


Dro»ih. it. r . 


K.ich. lo p 




iitntlr. 


Draaalj. »«:«). 


r ..:»«. lo 1 de«. 


Druam^k, meal and water mixed ia a raw 




. 'iij oath. 




. kaallkj | a brolbrrj fr .,,.). 


pood. 


oak* a retailing noue; io bdr '1 ; 


i 




• 




i poibed, dri.ea. 


F'.tiie lao', lha or-arrr bora* of Iba bii.dmoal 


1 law, u.i«-U- 


pa.r io Iba plough. " 




Fizz, io make a hieeiog ooim, lib* lermenia- 


Dueht, poabad tj ■ tan, as, & e. 


PUnto, B.nnal. 

mppllcaia io a flaitering manner. 


B 




Fleech'd, aupplica.ej. 


'i ' 


Fteecbii.r, .uppliealing. 


E'en, ineejea. 


Flee.b, a fleece. 






-, dreading rpirita. 


Fie* bar, to decor bj fa.r * 


1 


latla*iaa> 


Eibork. it* elbow, 




EUr.icb. rba. . 


lluller. aa joung o». 


Eller. as e:der, or church oficer. 


Ibeir dam epproacbea. 


E..'. end. 


Flindera, abrefle, broken pieeee, aplinUre. 


Enbrugb, Edmlmrgb, 


-. a piece of ninbrr bung b» »e, 




of oarutioo between two boraea in a alable ; 


.-t.-i«llr. 


■C 


Eti.e, loirj. toauempl. 


•• at the joke. Fliakrt, frel'ed. 


;euL 


. .itrate like Ike mora of auiall 



Flittering, fluttering, vi 
Flunkie, a servant in In 
Fodgel, squat and plum 
Foord, a ford. 
Forbears, forefathers. 
Forbye, besides. 
Forfairn, distressed ; w 
Forfuughten, fatizued. 
Forgather, to meet, to e 
Forgie, t< forgive. 



BURNS GLOSSARY. 



Glaii 



half-fitted fool 

. 10 snatch g'reedil 
Glaum 'd, aimed, snatch 
Gleck, sharp, ready. 
Cleg, sharp, ready. 
Glieb, glebe. 
Glen, a dale, a deep vail 



Glib-gab 



wrong. 



Frammit, 






with. 






Freath, f 
Frien', fr 


oth. 




Fu', full. 






Fud, the 


sent, or ta 


\ of the h 



Fyle, to soil, to dirty. 
Fyl't, soiled, dirtied. 




G 




Gab, the mouth ; to speak boldly, or 
Gaberlunzie, an old man. 
Gadsman, a ploughboy, the boy that 


pertly 

drives 

e, gon 



Gaucy,' jolly, large. 

Gaud, a plough. 

Gear, riches i goods of any kind. 



Ghai„t. 


aVh'o 




l.'ie, to 


2IV-; 


_'ieJ, 


Giftie, 






Gi s - = u 


%'!,'' 




'ill. if, 






Gilpey 




t gr 


g>rl, 










= f, 01 


Gin, if 










2 Sir 


G- R?0D 


grin, 






ling. 



s, the phiz ; a grunting noise. 
e, thick; of thriving growth. 



l:lTtNS\-CLOSSARY. 





. Iiopprd j barrrn. 




Hitch, • if.p. a k„ i. 


, ■ pntj i »ih of negation | DO- 


II //,.,« hu..j, a)oun|frirl. 






1 .. l.-aO. 










drawn uiwlhi rink. 


of podd.nf l~. . 


II a| .lumber. • kind of hoi.. plaj. bj jilitll 



d. .\'"~L 

"- 

. 'buul Iboagbt. 
plan. 

II in • col- 



I 

Baiw, .. ■ i, 

Ham. I,. bom.l.. 



I 

H 

' 
i 
i 
i 

- 
Uacbl 



rt.tboS.ai 



promiKd ; to fbrrtall »m>'i. r.; tbat 

uu be rol oc ci<rn: for- 

foretold ; ofTe,**! ■ 

■ rd. in which m Cx«d * numbrr 

cf iba/p p.o,. aaed is dxtaaing htmp, flax. 



Hl 



I ' 

Herrin, a •.- 

llorj. to pioneer ; moat properly to plunder 



.« who tend, flock*. 



'.I, lun.'.l i 



.u.A I. lb. 

Il.'.n. .I.pplini houwjl 
lluwk lodif. 

!w"'' 

llo" 10 ■»* 

upwardt. 
MaerasU*. 
Ilorboe. dim 

II. .l on, a ctub.oo. 



ler^e', a (rttt^rudebt 

Ilk, or Ilka, each, ererj 
lll.«il|. e. ill-natured, u, 



JAD. jade ; al«o a familiar term am 

try folia for a r iddj juuor g rl. 
Jauk.todal.. 



t; to jerk •• ari'i'-d 
. to ibptf tr. 



Jerkinet, a jerkin, at sho 

Ji'.Ut, a jili, a giddy girl 
Jimp, to jump ; slender 



GLOSSARY. 

ans, the Sco 



Jouk, to'stt 
Jow, to jo< 



is quickly ; a gay sprightly 



b which includes both the 



Kebbuc 
Keckle, to 

Kefpies 3 , P a 



wort ; a kind of broth. 

Is, &c paid as rent by a farmt 



Ken, to know ; Kend or Kenn'd, known. 
Rennin, a small matter. 
Kenspeckle, well known, easily known. 
Ket, malted, bairy ; a fleece of wool. 



LADDIE, diminutive t 

torn of a wooden dial 

Lairing, wading, ana i 



r la> 


e, thy Ian 


thi 


ik lang, to 


rk. 
d. 


ing, bilL 


, fa 


thfol. 



a phrase of congratulatory ei 



Leugb, d. 

L "' t \-- 
Lift, tne s 
Lightly, s 



Xi Lint i' the bell, fli 



Loun, a iellow, a ragami 

L< ;.t', j mp, leap. 



Manlael, * maollr. 

Wa/k. mark.. | IT,;. ,n,l ., 

-bicb.o Kogli.b r»«n ■ 

plural, an 

M«rl.d, t.nrg.lfd; .polled. 
Mar'.,..,. ,b.,,.rl7|i. 

M..k. la m«.b. M mail, v \c. 



, 



lun,b,lt. 

», a fuller •! ib. buiton of i 



DURNS. —GLOSSARY. 

■r, an axchanga ; to exchange, to bi 
...... r. a nrgro. 

Ninr-ia li-d-cat, a hangman', whip. 

and. of or belonging to tbe north. 

Nome, buck callla. 



ing ; drooping. 

I l.nl'huu.rd. 

>«l| of fetching a blow B<||| lha 

)• 

I'M K. btlauU, familiar; twain .10 e uf 

.u„cl,. 

i pa.tridja. 

ecb. 
oeimeal podding, a wcll-knowi. 

p'ourh-.laff. 



Moo,, or > 

M . -• 



Moorlaa', of or beloorin* 10 



eao.DO.td aimplt of naier, 



P.,'.. pa.d; b.... 
" , la Inch lb. bl 

P'cban, lb. crop, lb 



augbl, 



alb .bor 



I- 



Pbilibeg., abort | 



PWml 



.l...p, A,c. 

> pl»ugb..iaff*. 

iicoau woro bjr the Iligh- 



• peeebea, flattery j 
jbland oar muiie a 
Picklr, a .mall quantify. 
P ', lopui! 
Placad, public proclamation. 



Pu.-k, 



.b peniij, ,» t |, c & „ 

,b penny. 

• . p-m.jlr.., wiihouti 



NA. no. not. dot. 

t\.ething. or Naathog. nothing. 
Jja.g. a bora,. 

Nappy, alt ; to be tipey. 
Nrgiaaki, neglected. 

Vim, ike 6«t, 
xVierefo'. haod/nL 



reof plai 



or good, for reel, a* ibe 



Poul, a poul', a chick. 
i'i, d.d poll. 
', the brad, the akuil. 



BURNS GLOSSARY. 



r down, lo propose. 

pounds. 

■ caff, a single grain of chaff. 



m of colewort or cabbsge. 



e book so called : 



RAGWEED, the herb ragworl 



Raploch, 
Rarely, a 



;e for ihe'plural roods 



hollow. 



OLOBSARV. 












P U t k. 



. i jll.. cl» 



So» w- troo. (Belted iuw. 
Saatk. St.i;k. the lateb of a door. 



SaM»kta-n> 11, a naff-box. 



ribboa for b < c 

M wboa* apirit ia orokea vkk opprea- 
i»ery ; Co iutm.t ttmeli ; to aoeak. 



Snook, lo «cent or inulT, an a dog, bo. 

BaOwkit, acrirad, .null-,!. 

Boofia, hating ■>«'., eogariug look. ; luck 

Room, (0 • witO. 

Suoib. truib, a petty oa'h. 

> . .. a i-jimd J»ing on tbr n 
Nouple, Urn 

•malm 

o."o.',.l aoarad. \V Hummer,.' 
Soup, a .poouful, a .null u,uauUy of « 

-r • iuii» wi'b a low MbittN 






. 





■ajar, aa. wild 1 
























. bay. lie. 






-of .tag. 








v.o, to 111.. . 










Buaf, 






-!> ... 


u.j itiak i a pe 


















to r nn ai eatf|« i'anr by the gad-fli. 






Butt, 














. cr»u,mmg. 






to .but; aaiileb. 












trm, compacted. 




I 




Bias, to ran aa a bora*. 






re.red. 






UibaUj du-aof.njkiod. 




' 






- 




per ia 



BURNS GLOSSARY. 



mpart, the eignth part of a Winchester 



Tapetless, heedless, foo 
Tarrnw, to murmur at < 
Tarrow't, murmured. 



Stoup, or Stowp, a kind of jug or dish wii 

Stoore, dust, more particularly dust in moll 
Stowlins, by stealth 



, or Tau 
I Tawie,' that t 



Tedding, spreading aflertbe 
Ten-hours bite, a slight fi 



Straik, did strike. 




Teugh, toug 


, stroked. 




Thack, tha 


Strappin, tall and handsome. 










Thae, these. 






Thairms, sin 


Striddle, to straddle. 




Thankit, tha 






Theekit, tha 


Studdie, a stithy. 




Thegither, t 


Slumpie, diminutive of stamp. 




Themsel, i*> 


Strunt, spirituous liquor of any kind ; 




Thick, inii-- 


sturdily ; huff, sullenness. 




Thieveless, 


Stuff, corn or pulse of any kind. 










Thir, these. 


-r guted. 




Thirl, thrill. 


Sucker, sugar. • 




Th.rled, thr 


Sud, should. 




Thole, to su 


Sugh, the continned rushing noise of 




Thowe, a tb 






Thowleas, si 


Southron, southern ; an old name 


for the 


Thmng, tbr 


English nation. 




Thrapple, th 


Swaird, sward. 




Thrave, twe 



> tight strapping young 



Swarf, to swoon ; a' swoon. 




Thret^en, thirteVnr 






Tbristle, thistle. 


Swatch, a sample. 




Through, to go on with ; to make 


Swats, drink ; good ale. 




Throuther, pell-mell, confusedly. 






Thud, to make a loud intermittent 


Sweer, lazy, averse ; dead-sweer 


extremely 


Thysd P ,'l'hjseif. Pe ' 






T.li't, toil. 






Timmer, timber. 


Swirl, a curve ;' an eddying blast, 


or pool; a 


Tine, to lose ; Tint, lost. 
Tinkler, a tinker. 


Swirlie, kna-gie, full of knots. 




Tint the gate, lost the way. 


Swith, get away. 




Tip, a ram. 


Swither, to hesitate in choice ; at 










:,r!r e Ts n iight noise; to u„c 


Syne, since, ago ; then. 







TACKETS, a kind of nails for driving into 
Tae, a toe ; three-tae'd, having three prongs. 



hatch; Thack an' rape, clotbiti; 






BURNS — GLOSSARY. 



■ .••.. . P fro.'h. 

irj.i., la m.k. 

Trj't. t,~i.' 

.. of wMrb » old I,*.. [ 



-.-jr.. onecuth; »rrj. 


"»J C"«'. 














IBM.., out***;. 




. u .-l«»«»«l. uohort. 




. MWlU »(lj, OBkOu-l 


t'r- 


Vpo*. .p.O 




Dreku, a b*d (< hof. 




T 




V*PRI\. ..pourinf. 








| roand.-ro!.*.. Ate. 




Tml*. com of til k.od.. food. 




w 




■ .-.. w.l't. 




■«MW. 




• -1 i ibtl.i plnigt. 


- .door. 




Wi>, wo ; K^ro.fuL 




- fat, torrowfal. wt lis* 








•TOT ibrnd. lbt( r«i 




ihuitl. throoch tb< «>'. ; »oof. 




Wtir, 10 I«t out. io nptod. 




' ■ cboot*. 




Wtl.d. cKok, cboorn. 




Wtl*. t»p>, Itrge, jolly ; tlto to 








Wtme. the b«fiy. 





W.m-fV. t b.ll,.f..ll. 



V.r.H'd. M W.r.ld, wr..tl.J. 

v..,,,. pradlc.Hl.. 

Y.I, ,,i. I .... I -ol, 1 know. 



-i.-d •• full.r* do cl 



Hrapatdo. 

»l,„.'„. >i, n ..,t. 

WksM, -i -■ 

i..r«, running but not 

fr«M.d| .HO. 

whl'J[!..T,7 nr %o^p^." t „"'f"M,n«' ,, " 

.. Mlw or-.rn.ol., trillmf *p 

W b.Ml.. . whi.ll. ; 1^ - 

Mb' int. AM* | to bold on". Whilhl, 10 I. 

Wh..k.'io .w~p, toluh- 

WbbkJt, Itthrd. 

WfcltWr. t b'trrjr dr.urhl of liqoor. 

Hk.lM, afcilo*, tomttinx*. 

WI'. ".lb. 

Mithi. »i(rbt, powtrfol, itronj ; iniratirt , 

tar, willow flM tmiV.rt »ort> 

... . diBiautiv. or endttrinr, term for 



r rp rtriag .wkw.rd in it. 



I'lBipl*. IO IS 






BURNS GLOSSARY. 



Wimplin, waving, meandering. 






spror 

, luni 
gs, bu 


rn in (he 


quently u 


ed forth 


olash 


olhforsi 
an eagle 

S5! 


s no milk. 


plural j 


j,rke 
ii, yes 

i farm 


ern.gbt.' 
yard or h 


usually a 
eld. 


tbe entr 


a'rth. 








y-'-<" 


JS about. 




1, you 


self. 












dimin 


uliveof: 


owe. 





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